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Originally Posted by NEOWatcher
My guess is that there is probably something in thier charter to prevent it. And being a non-profit, there are also some legalities involved.
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I'd bet you are correct. However, if a major fund-raising activity would produce a major financial advance to astronomy, would an IAU amendment, or whatever, be warranted? They would not have to be directly involved, as I would assume a separate agency would be contracted for the effort. Governments could tax it, so they should cooperate.
. [(Borrowing another Faraday idea.
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I can think of several examples: State Governments are in the gambling business; selling bricks with one's name on them is done by public schools (school organizations apparel sales, of course, are far greater); Governments lease their lands to private individuals (e.g. oil companies and ranchers); the devout allow Bingo; etc.
Of course, I am not suggesting the IAU become commercialized, however, but whenever a governmental entity has a monopoly on a valuable item, it might be worthwhile to consider a potential greater good by offering it to the public.
I admit, I am a businessman by profession and I do not know have the full picture to assess its viability; that is why I am asking more than saying.