Go ahead. Ask us anything!

Naming a crater on the Moon πŸŒ’ to honor a family member, your husband or wife, a parent, friend, colleague or loved one on a special occasion (such as πŸŽ… Christmas, πŸ’ Valentines Day, your πŸ‘° anniversary or a 🎁 birthday) is very easy … but you may still have questions.

πŸš€ Wondering how long delivery takes? Check out our delivery estimates.

Please scroll down the page to find answers to many of the most common questions we receive.

Not only can you view your crater on the Moon nearly any night of the year, you also receive a beautifully engraved and personalized certificate and certified registration letter, along with an information sheet detailing the location of the crater, and a satellite photograph showing the region in which the crater is located.

We’ll also include a free Postcard From The Moon with your special gift message at no additional cost to you!

ILGS Memorial Crater Certificate (Image)
ILGS Moon Crater Designation Certificate (Sample)

Everywhere! Over the past quarter of a century, we have shipped a little bit of the Moon (in the form of documents, of course!) to every corner of the world, from Canada to Chile, from India to South Africa, and everywhere in between.

We generally require two business days (not including weekends and federal holidays) to officially register the crater name, and to process, print and ship the documents.

In the USA, standard delivery times are 5 to 10 business days in transit.

In a hurry for a last-minute gift? Delivery via USPS Express (2 to 3 business days) and USPS Priority (3 to 5 business days) are also offered as options.

We generally require two business days (not including weekends and US federal holidays) to officially register the crater name, and to process, print and ship the documents.

Depending on where in the world you are outside the USA, delivery is subject to your country’s postal service.

Our packets generally clear customs out of the United States in about three days, at which point they are transferred to your postal service for transport to your country and delivery to you.

As customs hands your package off to your local postal authority, there can be a lag time of 2 to 5 business days where your package is not visible. Not every country scans their packages or performs a full set of scans while the packet is in transit. The Crater Registry is not responsible for packages once they have been handed off to the local postal authority, and we cannot contact your postal authority to expedite delivery.

Please note that we are still experiencing lengthy delivery times to many locations in Asia, South Asia, Africa, and South America as a result of service limitations beyond our control.

Craters – as well as other significant geographic and geological features on the Moon – cannot be bought and sold; in partnership with other organizations, we are working to preserve these formations, along with the landing sites of earlier missions to Luna, as a legacy of all humankind.

You may, however, name a crater on the Moon as a tribute or memorial to a family member, friend, colleague or loved one. Having a crater named in honor of someone does not transfer ownership of that crater to that person or entity.

The designation of a crater is meant as a singular honour for one person only. In certain rare cases a crater has been named for two people whose accomplishments are inextricably linked together; for example, the Wright Brothers (Orville and Wilbur), aviation pioneers generally credited with designing, fabricating, and flying the world’s first successful motorized airplane.

If multiple persons are named in an honorary crater designation – such as parents and their children – the crater shall be known by its familial eponym; i.e., the family’s surname.

Any exceptions to this provision must be approved by the international Lunar Geographic Society prior to requesting the designation.

A photograph of Wilbur and Orville Wright, who have had a crater on the Moon named for them
Wilbur and Orville Wright. Two brothers. One crater.

No. You may have a crater named for yourself, but the crater may not be altered in any manner or by any means. As part of the name designation process, you agree to preserve the unique and distinctive character of the crater for future generations.

Maybe. Some smaller craters may not be clearly visible, even with a high-powered telescope, and craters on the far side of the Moon are not visible at all from Earth. But, with a very good telescope most larger Earth-facing craters are viewable, depending on your location and viewing conditions.

You may, however, view nearly every one of the more than 78,000 impact craters on the Moon by entering its coordinates (latitude, longitude) in the search box here.

We do not purport, warrant or in any way guarantee that you will be able to view any specific crater from Earth, and visibility from Earth is not a condition of designating a crater name.

First, you cannot “buy” any crater. You may, however, have a crater named in your honor, or in honor of a friend, family member (such as your husband, wife, mother, father, or your child) or another loved one – but you cannot request a specific crater.

The naming of a crater on the Moon is intended to be a permanent honor. You may not sell or transfer it under any circumstances.

Yes, the naming of a crater on the Moon is a permanent honour. It cannot be revoked or changed except under extreme circumstances; for example, if the honoree has committed crimes or other moral offenses that call into question their suitability to hold the honour.

The International Lunar Geographic Society (ILGS) utilizes Moon Crater Database v1 SalamuniΔ‡car (LU78287GT), which contains feature names and catalog numbers for more than 78,000 craters on the Moon. The catalog was compiled using images and data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) and includes about 9,000 feature names approved over the past century by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). ILGS assigns names to minor craters – that is, those 69,000 or so small craters that are not already designated by IAU – and maintains a comprehensive public database including all Lunar features, including those from LU78287GT, IAU and other well-known and generally-accepted sources.

As we’ve mentioned previously, you cannot “buy” any crater – including Tycho. Primary named craters – as well as any major geographic feature on the Moon – received its designation through a process that respects and codifies historical place names on Luna. Those features will retain their designations under rules and regulations codified by the International Lunar Lands Administration.

Absolutely … but we don’t provide transportation services at this time. If you have a wealthy friend in the space industry, they may be able to help you arrange a visit.

A wealthy friend might have the resources available to help you visit your crater on the Moon…

Please get in touch with us via our contact page, if you have any questions regarding your order.

Astronaut Pushing The Moon (Lunar Crater Image)

We didn’t have the answer to your question here? We can fix that! Please contact us!

KEYWORDS: FAQ, Frequently Asked Questions, questions about naming a crater, questions about buying moon real estate, name a star vs. naming a moon crater.