Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!bill From: bill@utastro.UUCP (William H. Jefferys) Newsgroups: net.astro Subject: Re: Re: Name your own star Message-ID: <491@utastro.UUCP> Date: Sun, 9-Mar-86 00:49:23 EST Article-I.D.: utastro.491 Posted: Sun Mar 9 00:49:23 1986 Date-Received: Wed, 12-Mar-86 03:52:20 EST References: <693@well.UUCP> <416@utastro.UUCP> <922@umn-cs.UUCP> <472@utastro.UUCP> Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX Lines: 38 In article <472@utastro.UUCP>, ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac) writes: > > > 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? > > > > 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). > -- There is more to it than this. This IAU is one of a number of organizations that are members of the International Council of Scientific Unions, which is in turn established in part by international treaties, to which the United States is party. And according to the Constitution, Article VI, treaties made under the authority of the United States are the law of the land. I don't know how far you can push this (with respect to the question of naming astronomical objects), but when I discussed this today with Harlan Smith (Director of McDonald Observatory), he remarked that of course anyone is free to call anything anything he wants to, but such private names have no force; I could call New York "Greater Appleville", for example, but I shouldn't expect the post office to deliver mail addressed that way! If I find out anything more about this, I will post a followup. -- Glend. I can call spirits from the vasty deep. Hot. Why, so can I, or so can any man; But will they come when you do call for them? -- Henry IV Pt. I, III, i, 53 Bill Jefferys 8-% Astronomy Dept, University of Texas, Austin TX 78712 (USnail) {allegra,ihnp4}!{ut-sally,noao}!utastro!bill (UUCP) bill@astro.UTEXAS.EDU. (Internet)