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From: ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac)
Newsgroups: net.astro
Subject: Re: Re: Name your own star
Message-ID: <472@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 6-Mar-86 13:33:32 EST
Article-I.D.: utastro.472
Posted: Thu Mar  6 13:33:32 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 10-Mar-86 00:22:29 EST
References: <693@well.UUCP> <416@utastro.UUCP> <922@umn-cs.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 20
Summary: the star police

> > after people.  It`s just that the only organization with the legal right
> > to name astronomical objects is the International Astronomical Union.
> > -- 
> How is this "right" enforced?  Is un-authorized naming a crime?  Are naming
> pirates subject to civil penalties and damages if the IAU choses to sue?
> 
> John Hasler  (guest of ...ihnp4!umn-cs!crickman)

I'm not a lawyer, but in practice what it means is that no one pays any
attention whatsoever to names "assigned" by such people.  It also means
that when and if specific extraterrestrial locations are mentioned in laws 
or treaties then the names used will be the IAU names.  People have urged
that the IAU sue "naming pirates" for fraud but this seems an absurd
overreaction to me (and apparently to the governing board of the IAU).
-- 
"Ma, I've been to another      Ethan Vishniac
 planet!"                      {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan
                               ethan@astro.UTEXAS.EDU
                               Department of Astronomy
                               University of Texas