The International Astronomical Union is an organization, founded in
1919, with the purpose of promoting
astronomy and cooperation within
professional
astronomers. One of the chief duties of the
IAU is the assigning designations to
celestial bodies and any surface features on
them. This is CommisSion 5 under the IAU. The IAU has come to be
recognized as an international authority in this area.
In 1922 the IAU restructured the list of
constellations to the current official 88
constelLations. In the process, some constellations were dropped,
including Quadrans Muralis
Other duties include disseminating astronomical discoveries via the
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. This is CommisSion 6.
IAU's activities are carried out through its 11 Scientific Divisions
and 38 specialized CommiSsions.
The IAU is the officially recognized organization when it comes to
naming stars. It does not offer the sale of star names. There are
commercial companies that offer to name stars but these are not
officially recognized internationally.
For more information, see http://www.iau.org.