January 8th 2005 marks the 14th anniversary of Steve's passing and this year I have chosen to mark this sad day with star tributes.

The Brightest Star In The Heavens

To me, Steve Clark is the brightest star in the whole of the heavens and so there was only one choice, and that is Sirius (also known as the Dog Star) in the constellation of Canis Major (Great Dog). I think that Steve would like that as his beloved pet when he was younger and at home was a dog :) It also happens to be the brightest star in the sky... just like Steve.

To find Sirius on January 8th:

For Steve fans north of the equator:
You need to be looking south. Depending on just where you live, Sirius will be anywhere from just above the horizon to mid-way between the horizon and the zenith (the point right above your head when you look up). If you're having trouble finding it look for Orion (which most people will be familiar with) and find the three stars which make up Orion's Belt. Follow the belt from right to left, (heading in a south-eastern direction) and Sirius is roughly in this line of sight.

For Steve fans south of the equator:
You're luckier than us fans up north! Sirius is one of the most noticeable features in the Southern Hemisphere at this time. To find Sirius, you need to look further upward as it is closer to the zenith than it is in northern skies. In some places it is more or less the southern pole star at this time of the year. If you're not sure you've found it use the guide of Orion's Belt as listed above for those in the northern hemispere.

About naming stars for loved ones.

I first became interested in naming a star for Steve many years ago, and wanted to choose a star for Steve and also someone else special to me that I lost. Star Registries seemed like a dream come true... until I received some advice about how they actually work. It's possible for one registry to assign a star already assigned to someone else's loved one in a different star registry!

These star registries can't really assign you a star for someone special as only the astronomical body can officially register stars. A few stars were named in early times but today every star is only given a catalogue number and precise co-ordinates for where that star is located.

The star-registries claim that everyone is assigned a star and give co-ordinates for that star. The sad fact is that all these stars are very low magnitude (brightness) and can't be seen with the naked eye (some probably can't even be seen without a really decent-sized telescope). There are stories of people asking astronomers just where the star they named for a lost loved one is and rather than them breaking an elderly lady's heart they have just had to point to some distant star, unable to locate the star assigned by a star registry because the co-ordinates given aren't precise enough.

Choosing any star and naming it after a loved one is just as meaningful as using one of these star-registaries... if anything it's more meaningful. You can actually see the star you've picked for your loved one! And with the money you can do a lot of good - give it to a charity that either of you support... it's what I did instead.