Frequently Asked Questions
A few honest answers to the questions most people have before their first inquiry.
Understanding a Dedication
What is a nebula?
A nebula is a vast cloud of gas and dust in space — some are the birthplaces of new stars, others are the remnants left behind when a star reaches the end of its life. They come in many forms: glowing stellar nurseries, delicate shells of expelled gas, dark clouds that block the light behind them. Each object in this collection belongs to one of these families, and its specific type is described on its own page.
Is this an official astronomical designation?
Naming a nebula this way is informal — a discoverer is free to give their own find a personal name, just as other amateur astronomers have done before: Nicolas Outters called his discovery the "Squid Nebula," and Dave Jurasevich named his the "Soap Bubble Nebula." Neither name is official, and neither needed to be to become widely known and used. Each object here keeps its permanent scientific designation in every professional astronomical database, exactly as it is today — that identity is part of what makes the object real, and it never changes. Imagine an object has a scientific designation: "PN G123.6+34.5" People may find that difficult to remember. Someone might call it: “Lemon Slice Nebula.” When that nickname catches on, people can use “Lemon Slice Nebula” when talking about the object while scientists still retain the formal designation. So there are effectively two layers of identity: Scientific identity/Formal name → Permanent catalog designation and Nickname / Informal name → Popular identity .
How is this different from "buy a star" registries?
"Buy a star" registries assign a name to an existing, already-catalogued star — there is no discovery involved, and the name has no connection to any scientific record. Here, the underlying object is a genuine astronomical candidate that we independently identified ourselves, through cross-referenced public survey data, and it comes with an actual photograph — captured by an earth-based or space-based telescope, not a stock illustration. Each object is published in L'Astronomie and listed in HASH PN, the H-alpha Planetary Nebula database jointly maintained by the University of Hong Kong, the Australian Astronomical Observatory, and Strasbourg Observatory. Each one can be verified directly — the link is on its page. We describe clearly what a dedication is and isn't, so there's nothing to discover later that wasn't said upfront.
The Process
What happens after I express interest?
- Choose a nebula from the collection
- A private consultation to discuss the object and answer any questions
- Complete the dedication — a private conversation with the discoverer to finalize payment and mark the moment together
- Receive your archival certificate and full scientific documentation
- The object is permanently retired from availability
Can someone else dedicate the same object later?
No. Once an object has been dedicated, it's retired from the collection permanently. It won't be offered to anyone else again.
About the Collection
Who is behind this?
Sankalp Mohan, an independent nebula hunter based in Lucknow, India. His full story, discovery process, and publication history are on the
About the Discoverer page.
Does my dedication support your research?
Yes. This work is entirely self-funded and independent — each dedication directly supports the equipment, observing time, and continued search for objects that haven't yet been catalogued.
How do I pay?
By international wire transfer (SWIFT) — the standard method for a private transaction at this scale. Full banking instructions are issued personally by the discoverer once your dedication is confirmed; for security, they are never published or sent in an unsolicited message.
How do I begin?
Reach out through the private inquiry option on any object's page, or write directly to
inquiries@nameanebula.com. Every conversation is personal and kept confidential.