[Taxacom] Sale: immortal names

[David Campbell]

The star "naming" probably gets you a certificate but has no official
status in astronomy.  You can save the $50 by simply picking some star and
claiming it for yourself.  Selling such star names is questionable
ethically, since many people have the impression that it is official.
Naming a species after someone, on the other hand, does have official
scientific status.  There's the risk of conflict of interest if multiplying
taxa has some benefit to you, e.g. you sell specimens.  But overall selling
species names doesn't seem all that different from the usual approach to
honorifics.


I could get a binary star named for just $50 here
> <http://www.star-registration.com/order/>.
>
>


-- 
Dr. David Campbell
Assistant Professor, Geology
Department of Natural Sciences
Box 7270
Gardner-Webb University
Boiling Springs NC 28017