Name a Nebula

This is not without precedent. In 2011, French amateur astronomer Nicolas Outters discovered a nebula in Cepheus — today known worldwide, and featured by NASA, as “The Squid Nebula.”

Why Name a Nebula

I created Name a Nebula because I believe astronomy offers a unique way to connect people with something that will endure far beyond our own lifetime. Throughout history, people have named mountains, ships and buildings after those they wished to honour or remember. Astronomy has its own long tradition of discovery and naming. This project offers a transparent and respectful way for individuals to create a personal association with genuine celestial discoveries while preserving their scientific identity.

— Sankalp Mohan, independent nebula hunter, Lucknow, India

Meet the discoverer →

A dedication like this is rarely about the object itself. More often, it marks something specific — a parent's memory, a marriage, the day a family grew by one, a life's work finally complete. Whatever the reason, it stays yours; what changes is that it becomes permanent.

We are mortal. These are not.

A human life lasts less than a century. This dedication will outlast it by thousands of years — for some objects, longer than civilization itself has existed.

Markets fall. Homes burn. A name on a building can be renamed by whoever pays next. This one cannot be sold, seized, or taken back.

The Seven Discoveries

Click any object to view its full record, provenance, and dedication details.

Variable Nebula / Reflection Nebula

Reflection Nebula / Dark Nebula

Several of these objects belong to categories so rare that only a handful are documented worldwide. Variable nebulae visibly shift in brightness over years. A planetary nebula's glowing shell lasts only 10,000–25,000 years — a fleeting instant before it fades forever. What you are considering is not decorative. It is genuinely uncommon.

The Collection — Seven Objects Available

Reference	Type	Constellation	PN-G	Price
Mo 11	HII Region	Crux	301.5+00.2	$75,000+	View & Inquire
Mo Object 5	Reflection Nebula	Canis Major	243.3+00.0	$85,000+	View & Inquire
Mo 17	Variable Nebula / Reflection Nebula	Canis Major	248.9−03.6	$130,000+	View & Inquire
Mo 27	HII Region	Vela	283.9+05.7	$80,000+	View & Inquire
Mo 4	Cometary Globule	Orion	204.4−10.7	$110,000+	View & Inquire
Mo Object 4	Reflection Nebula / Dark Nebula	Crux	301.9+02.2	$95,000+	View & Inquire
Mo 22	Planetary Nebula	Vela	272.9−01.6	$150,000+	View & Inquire

Essential Dedications — Starting at $249

Beyond the seven featured objects above, several dozen additional discoveries are available as a simpler, digital-first dedication — the same real designation, coordinates, and permanent ledger entry, without the framed print and physical materials of the full collection. A more accessible way to place a name among the stars.

Not every real discovery is a striking photograph. Some of the most scientifically significant nebulae are small, faint, or difficult to image — their importance lies in what they are, not necessarily in how dramatic they appear through a lens.

Inquire About an Essential Dedication →

Amateur Astronomers Have Been Expanding
Our View of the Universe for Decades

Many remarkable nebulae have been discovered not only by professional observatories, but also by dedicated amateur astronomers and independent researchers who gave an informal name to their find by analyzing astronomical survey data.

Informal Name	Formal Designation	Discoverer
Soap Bubble Nebula	PN G75.5+1.7	Dave Jurasevich
Soccer Ball Nebula	Kronberger 61	Matthias Kronberger
Titan Nebula	PN-G 140.4-21.2	Dana Patchick, Xavier Strottner & Marcel Drechsler

Two Honest Questions, Answered Upfront

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.

Read the full FAQ →

The Dedication

You may dedicate the object under your own name, or in honor of someone else — a parent, a partner, a mentor — whatever the occasion calls for.

A private conversation with the discoverer, at the moment your dedication is confirmed
A fine art print of the nebula, produced from original observation and processing
A custom nameplate, engraved with your chosen dedication name
An astronomical data card — coordinates, survey cross-matches, and discovery notes
A customized leather-folder
A signed letter of authenticity from the discoverer

Everything here is confidential — recorded only in the discoverer's private ledger, and never published unless you choose to share it.

"No human hand shaped this. The universe painted it first."

Humanity's gaze has always turned upward. As our reach extends further into space, so too will the meaning of a name written among the stars.

Why Name a Nebula

The Seven Discoveries

The Collection — Seven Objects Available

Essential Dedications — Starting at $249

Amateur Astronomers Have Been Expanding
Our View of the Universe for Decades

Two Honest Questions, Answered Upfront

The Dedication

By Private Inquiry Only

Private Inquiry

Name a Nebula

Why Name a Nebula

The Seven Discoveries

The Collection — Seven Objects Available

Essential Dedications — Starting at $249

Amateur Astronomers Have Been ExpandingOur View of the Universe for Decades

Two Honest Questions, Answered Upfront

The Dedication

By Private Inquiry Only

Private Inquiry

Amateur Astronomers Have Been Expanding
Our View of the Universe for Decades