Somewhere to look up to
The same Moon rises over every home in the family. Whoever is missing them, in whatever town, can step outside on the same night and look at the same place.
In memory
Name a crater on the Moon in memory of someone you love
A symbolic memorial gift that cannot wilt or be packed away. Choose a real, unnamed crater, give it their name, and we post a keepsake certificate from Joshua Tree within one working day.
$75.00, one price for every crater · free shipping, posted from joshua tree, california
When words run out
A memorial gift they can look up at
When someone is gone, most gifts feel either too small or too temporary. A crater is neither. It is a real place, with their name on it, that the whole family can find.
It cannot wilt or be packed away
Flowers last a week and cards go into a drawer. A crater has kept its shape for millions of years, and the dedication is recorded permanently in the Joshua Tree Crater Registry.
One of one, for good
The moment a crater is dedicated, it is retired from the atlas. Nobody else will ever put another name on that exact spot.
Their name, written down
The name is printed on a certificate in a presentation box, and kept on a private keepsake page the family can open and share at any time.
Who it is for
Who families remember with a crater
There is no wrong person to name a crater after. These are some of the people a crater can be named for.
A mother, father or grandparent
For the person who taught you where to look. You can add the years of their life to the name.
A son or daughter
There are no words big enough for losing a child. A crater is a quiet, permanent place to keep their name, high above everything.
A baby gone too soon
For pregnancy and infant loss, a name that was never meant to be forgotten, recorded somewhere it never will be.
A husband, wife or partner
For the person who shared the night sky with you. Some families add both names, so the crater belongs to the two of them.
A friend
A gift for the family left behind, or something you keep for yourself. Either way, it says they mattered.
A companion animal
Years of walks, evenings and company deserve more than a pawprint ornament. Any name can go on a crater.
The words
Memorial inscription ideas
The name holds up to 60 characters and the inscription up to 180. Both are printed on the certificate. If you are not sure where to start, any of these can be used as they are or changed to sound like them.
Writing the name
You might use the full name with the years of a life, such as Rose Ellen Marsh, 1948 to 2025. Others use the name everyone called them by. Choose Memorial or Tribute as the occasion and the certificate will say so.
Forever in our sky.
Loved beyond the stars, missed beyond measure.
Wherever we are, we look up and find you.
Your light still reaches us.
For all the nights we looked up together.
Gone from our sight, never from our hearts.
Always our moon, always our light.
Named with love by the family who will never forget you.
What arrives
Something to hold, and somewhere to look
Five pieces in a presentation box, posted from Joshua Tree. You can send it to yourself, or straight to the family: enter their name as the recipient and their address for delivery at checkout.
- The “Name A Crater” Collectible Certificate
- The Joshua Tree Crater Company Star Chart Poster
- The Children’s Activity Poster
- The Joshua Tree Field Notes Booklet
- The Joshua Tree Crater Company Decal
Every dedication also has a private keepsake page with the certificate and a map of where the crater sits, so relatives who live far away can see it too. Find it again at any time from My Dedications.
Afterwards
A small ritual for the days that are hard
A memorial dedication is not opened once and put away. Here are a few simple ways to come back to it.
On the anniversary
Look up together on the date, wherever everyone is. The field notes booklet explains which phase shows the crater best, so you can plan a night to go out and find it.
On their birthday
Open the keepsake page, share the link with the family, and read the inscription aloud. It takes a minute and it keeps their name in the room.
With the children
The children’s activity poster in the box gives younger family members something gentle to do with their hands while they learn where the crater is.
Not sure when the crater is easiest to see? The moon phase guide explains when to look.
What a memorial dedication is, honestly
It is symbolic. Only the International Astronomical Union gives official names to lunar features, and nobody can own land on the Moon. What is real is the crater itself, its coordinates, and the permanent entry in the Joshua Tree Crater Registry that carries their name. We would rather say that plainly than let anyone believe otherwise at a time like this.
Questions
Memorial dedication questions
Straight answers to the questions worth asking before naming a crater for someone you have lost.
Can I name a crater on the Moon in memory of someone who has died?
Yes. Choose any available crater in the Lunar Atlas, enter their name as you want it to appear (up to 60 characters, so there is room for years or a middle name), and select Memorial or Tribute as the occasion. The dedication is recorded permanently in the Joshua Tree Crater Registry and printed on the certificate.
Can I dedicate a crater to a child or a baby we lost?
Yes, and we treat every one of these with care. You might use the full name, a nickname, or the name with a date. If you would like help with the wording, write to us and a person in Joshua Tree will reply.
Can I name a crater after a pet?
Yes. Any name can go on a crater, and a companion animal who shared your evenings for years is as fitting a name as any.
Is a memorial crater dedication official?
No company can give an official lunar name; only the International Astronomical Union does that. A dedication here is symbolic and commemorative: the name is recorded permanently in the Joshua Tree Crater Registry and tied to a real, catalogued, currently unnamed crater, which is retired from our atlas so it is never offered again. No land on the Moon is sold or owned.
Can you post it straight to the grieving family?
Yes. At checkout, enter their name as the recipient and their address for delivery, and add your own words in the inscription. The gift package ships within one working day from Joshua Tree, California, with free shipping. We currently post to United States addresses only.
How can relatives who live far away see it?
Every dedication has a private keepsake page with the certificate, the inscription and a map of where the crater sits on the Moon. It shows no prices or addresses, so you can send the link to anyone. You can find it again at any time from My Dedications using the email you ordered with.
What should I write in the inscription?
Whatever sounds like them. The inscription holds up to 180 characters. Short lines tend to read best on the certificate, for example: Forever in our sky, or Wherever we are, we look up and find you.
How is this different from naming a star in memory of someone?
Like naming a star, a crater dedication is symbolic. The difference is that every crater here is a real, catalogued feature at real coordinates on the near side of the Moon, most can be found with a small telescope, and each one is retired once it is dedicated so it is never sold twice.
Would you like help with the wording? Write to us and a person in Joshua Tree will answer.
Give their name a place in the sky
Every crater in the atlas is real, unnamed and one of one.
Choose a crater in their memory