Dedicate a star to someone. Everyone who visits can find it.
5,041 real stars · each at its measured distance
Their name on a real star,
in a galaxy you can explore.
Fly through the real stars around us and dedicate one to someone. Their name stays on it in the Kept in Stars galaxy for as long as we're running (at least 5 years), and their certificate shows where to find it tonight.
Find their star
Not just any star. One with a reason.
Tell us their birthday and where they live. We'll find a star whose light set off the year they were born, one in the constellation behind their star sign, and one that passes right over their home.
What “its light left in 2001” means
The light you see tonight set off years ago.
Starlight takes years to cross space. So when you look up, you're seeing each star as it was when its light set off. Pick a year and watch it travel.
It's 2026. The light that left in 2001 is reaching your eyes now.
Light is quick, but not instant
It covers 300,000 km every second. Sunlight takes about eight minutes to reach us, so you always see the Sun as it was eight minutes ago.
Stars are much further away
A light year is how far light travels in a year. HIP 5336 is 25 light years away, so its light takes 25 years to get here.
So you see it as it was
Look at it tonight and the light landing in your eyes set off in 2001. For someone born that year, it's been on its way to them their whole life.
Distances are measured by the Hipparcos satellite and can be out by a few per cent, so treat the year as close rather than exact.
The same goes for stars you might already know. Their light set off in:
- 2017Sirius9 light years
- 2001Vega25 light years
- 1989Arcturus37 light years
- 1959Aldebaran67 light years
- 1776Spica250 light years
- 1528Betelgeuse498 light years
- 1163Rigel863 light years
- 614Deneb1,412 light years
The certificate
Made to be framed, not filed away.
Every certificate is drawn for one star. Their name and your words sit under a chart of the sky around it, so anyone can step outside and find it.
- Their name and your dedication, set in classic Bodoni type.
- A chart of the stars around theirs, drawn for that exact star.
- Its Hipparcos catalogue number, which any star app can find.
- How far away it is, and the year its light set off.
- The month it's highest in the evening sky from the UK.
A PDF by email
Digital certificate
$19
Download and print at home, or send it on the day.
Posted to you, tracked
Printed certificate
$39
A4 on heavy 310gsm Hahnemühle art paper, posted flat. Tracked postage included, and you get the PDF too.
Posted to you, tracked
Framed gift
$75
The A4 certificate in a wooden frame, ready to hang or give. Tracked postage included, and you get the PDF too.
Every star costs the same. One payment, tracked postage and any VAT included, nothing renews. Printed close by and posted to addresses in the United States. For Christmas, order framed gifts by Wed 9 Dec and printed certificates by Thu 10 Dec; the digital certificate can be sent right up to Christmas Eve.
How it works
Two minutes here. A lifetime of looking up.
- 01
Find a star
Tell us their birthday and where they live and we'll suggest three, or look round the real stars yourself and pick one you like.
- 02
Write your dedication
Add their name and a few words. The certificate redraws as you type, so you see exactly what will be printed before you pay.
- 03
We check it and send it
A real person reads every dedication, usually within a day. Then the PDF arrives by email, and prints are made and posted with tracking.
Questions
Straight answers
Is it a real star?
Yes. Every star here comes from the HYG catalogue of stars visible to the eye, with its Hipparcos catalogue number (HIP), so you can find it in any star app. The distance and colour are measured, not made up.
Is this an official star name?
No, and nobody can sell one: only the International Astronomical Union names stars. What you're giving is a dedication recorded by Kept in Stars, and no astronomical body recognises dedications like ours. The star, its number and its distance are all real.
Can anyone else dedicate the same star?
Not on Kept in Stars. Each star can be dedicated once here, and the map shows who it's for.
Will they be able to see it?
Most stars here rise over the UK, and the card tells you before you buy if one doesn't. Bright ones are easy even from a town; fainter ones need a dark night or binoculars. The certificate says which month it's highest in the evening.
How long does it stay up?
At least 5 years from the day it goes live, and we plan on far longer. If we ever had to close sooner you'd get part of your money back. The details are in the terms.
What if I change my mind?
Until it goes live, use the cancel link in your email for a full refund, postage included. Printed certificates are personalised, so they can't be returned for a change of mind once printed. If one arrives damaged or hasn't arrived after 30 days, we'll replace it or refund you. The person it's dedicated to can always ask us to change it or take it down.
Somewhere up there is the right one.
Star positions, distances and HIP numbers from the HYG database v4.0 by astronexus (CC BY-SA 4.0), based on ESA's Hipparcos catalogue. Constellation figures and the Milky Way from d3-celestial by Olaf Frohn (BSD licence). Star sizes are estimates from brightness, distance and colour.