Truly free
Naming a star with a digital certificate costs nothing. No hidden fees, no subscription.
A gift for eternity
Give someone a star.
For free.
Choose a real star in the night sky, give it a name and instantly get a PDF with a QR code to your personal star certificate.
- 100% free
- No sign-up
- No data stored
Why Sternschenker?
Your data stays with you
Name, date and dedication live only inside the QR code. Our server never sees or stores any of it.
Real stars
More than 8,800 stars visible to the naked eye – with real coordinates from astronomical catalogues.
Your star in three steps
- 1
Choose a star
Pick a star on the interactive sky map – by constellation or zodiac sign.
- 2
Give it a name
Give your star a name, a naming date and, if you like, a personal dedication.
- 3
Get your PDF
Download the PDF with its QR code. The code opens your digital certificate.
More than a PDF
Your digital certificate – with AR star finder
The QR code on the PDF opens a personal certificate in the browser. And once it gets dark, your smartphone helps you find the star in the real sky.
- Certificate via QR codeJust scan – name, date and dedication appear in an elegant certificate.
- Sky map & star dataConstellation, brightness, distance and coordinates of your star at a glance.
- AR star finderHold your phone up to the sky: an arrow guides you until your star appears in the golden ring.
- Or with a planetarium appCatalogue number and coordinates to copy – for Stellarium & co.
The AR finder depends on your phone’s compass and is not always spot-on in every environment.
View an example certificateA star for every occasion
Honestly
Why we don’t need a database – and that’s why we’re free
Giving someone a star is a beautiful gesture. It says: you mean so much to me that I’m writing you into the sky. That’s what Sternschenker is all about.
So you know exactly what you’re giving, we’ll be honest: only the International Astronomical Union (IAU) gives stars official names – and to date it has named only around 640 of them. Astronomers know every other star by a catalogue number such as “HIP 26093”. The Gaia catalogue alone lists more than 1.8 billion objects. No private register – ours included – changes what science calls a star.
A central database would therefore just be stage scenery. So we leave it out: everything that makes your star yours – name, date, dedication and coordinates – lives right inside your QR code and link. It belongs to you and works without us.
And because there’s no register to maintain and no fees for entries that mean nothing astronomically, Sternschenker is free. You give your star its meaning. The sky belongs to everyone anyway.
“Like many of the best things in life, the beauty of the night sky is not for sale – it is free for all to enjoy.”Discover more about your star
Ideas for every occasion, all 88 constellations and honest guides – so you find the perfect star.
The 88 constellations
All official constellations with their brightest stars, the best time to see them from Central Europe and the stories behind them. Pick a constellation and name a star in it.
Name a star from your zodiac sign
A particularly personal gift: a star from the constellation that belongs to the recipient’s zodiac sign. Here are all twelve zodiac constellations with their brightest stars.
Something to hold?
Optionally, a premium printed certificate and an engraved stainless-steel pendant will be available.
Which star will it be?
The sky is waiting. Naming your star takes about two minutes.
Name a star for free