Of course, there is one other possibility none have mentioned. If engaging the IAU in such a venture seems insurmountable, I wonder if a more honest, more noble, more fitting, more knowledgeable, more astronomical, just a bunch more wondeful site could be found to serve as a vehicle to unofficially name stars and receive funds ear-marked for the Hubble, or other special project, including heliochromology
. Net after expenses goes to the project designated. Let's think aBAUT this. It would be nice if this hypothetical site was also made up of skeptics that are a little uncomfortable with the disingenuous approach of the other star naming outfits, some might even call this...bad astronomy in today's universe.
Buyers would get not only star coordinates but classification, temperature, color (except for G and T class
), spectral irradiance (assuming Sloan folks don't mind), size, distance, etc., plus an appropriate certificate artistically matching their designated fund preference.
[I suppose, in the worst case scenario, if the fund does not reach the level necessary for its use (e.g. HST repairs), the buyer would need to designate other preferences.
]