The International Astronomical Union has established a committee to finalize a list of official star names. Some companies offer unofficial naming rights for purchase. But the voices of certain communities are often left behind.
It's tricky to get a good estimate for how many satellites are in the skies above us, but if you've ever looked up at the night sky you've probably seen one orbiting the Earth.
Surveillance around the clock is offered to schoolchildren and astrophysicists via Internet-linked telescopes girding the globe.
Planet hunter Geoff Marcy scans the skies for answers to the universal question of other life.