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Registered declaration transformed unusual case into global debate about property in space and limits, after woman claimed to own the Sun and proposed charging for the use of solar energy around the planet.
The Spanish Ángeles Durán gained international attention by declaring that she had registered the Sun in her name at a notary in Galicia, Spain, and that she intended to charge for the use of solar energy on a global scale, a proposal that quickly drew attention for its boldness.
The claim attracted attention due to its unusual and provocative nature, but it did not mean legal recognition of ownership over the star, as there is no international legal basis that validates such claims involving celestial bodies essential to life on Earth.
Notary registration and origin of the claim
Resident of Salvaterra do Miño, Durán stated at the time that she took the initiative because, in her personal interpretation, no legal text explicitly prevented an individual from claiming ownership of a celestial body, such as the Sun, opening the door for her action.
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With this argument, she approached a local notary and formalized a declaration of ownership, a procedure that, while valid as a documentary record, does not have the power to guarantee real rights over objects outside terrestrial jurisdiction, yet was sufficient to turn the case into worldwide news.
Proposal to charge for the use of solar energy
The repercussions increased when the Spanish woman said she could charge a fee to everyone who benefited directly or indirectly from the Sun’s energy, which includes practically the entire population of the planet, as well as companies and governments.
According to reports published at the time, she even argued that part of the money raised should be allocated to the Spanish government, social security, funding scientific research, and initiatives aimed at combating hunger in different regions of the world.
International treaty limits claims in space
The claim, however, directly collided with international space law, a set of rules that regulates the use and exploration of space by countries and institutions, establishing clear limits to avoid disputes and improper appropriations.
The Outer Space Treaty, in effect since 1967, establishes that space, the Moon, and other celestial bodies cannot be nationally appropriated by claims of sovereignty, use, occupation, or any other means, being considered the common heritage of mankind.
Although Durán maintained that the prohibition would only apply to States, and not to individual citizens, experts point out that the prevailing legal understanding does not recognize any practical validity in this type of distinction to legitimize private ownership over celestial bodies.
In practice, the registered document served only as formalization of a personal declaration, without any legal effect that obliges governments, companies, or citizens to pay for the use of sunlight, nor the capacity to generate international billing or oversight.
Legal debate and global repercussions
The episode also raised a curious and relevant discussion about the boundaries between creativity, legal loopholes, and legal validity, especially in a context where new frontiers, such as space, still challenge traditional interpretations of law.
Registering a declaration in a notary’s office does not, by itself, transform that declaration into a recognized real right, especially when the claimed object is a celestial body that belongs to no country and plays a fundamental role in maintaining life on the planet.
With the story circulating in media outlets and social networks, the Spanish woman informally became known as the “owner of the Sun,” an expression that helped broaden the case’s reach and solidify it as a media phenomenon.
The expression helped the case go viral but simplified a more complex situation: Durán did not buy the star, did not receive recognition from international organizations, and did not obtain a legal mechanism to charge humanity, despite the global repercussion achieved.
Years later, the case is still remembered as an example of a symbolic claim that found enormous public repercussion but little concrete legal support, frequently cited in discussions about space law and the limits of property.
The story remains between the anecdotal and the legal debate, especially for exposing how an individual initiative can gain global reach when it touches on universal themes such as property, energy, and space, and for highlighting interpretive gaps creatively exploited.
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