An asteroid has been recently named after singer Freddie Mercury from the legendary British band Queen in time for the rock legend’s 70th birthday.
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Asteroid names are governed by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and published by the Minor Planet Center.
The asteroid was discovered in 1991, the year Mercury died.
Watch here for more information and to see Mercury’s asteroid in orbit.
Issuing the certificate of designation, Joel Parker of the Southwest Research Institute in the USA said the asteroid was a celebration for a “charismatic singer”.
Celebrated Queen front man Freddie Mercury would have turned 70 years old on September 5th. The video was played during a party honoring Mercury’s birthday at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland in aid of Mercury Phoenix Trust. It is situated in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and reflects only about 30 percent of the light that strikes it, making it nearly impossible to spot without a powerful telescope.
“It’s just a dot of light, but it’s a very special dot of light”, May says in the video.
The renaming of the asteroid marks “Freddie’s outstanding influence in the world”, said May.
There’s now two “mercury” roaming in space.
‘And so – for its first appearance in public – Asteroid Freddiemercury – happy birthday Freddie!’
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While issuing the certificate of designation, Joel Parker of the Southwest Research Institute said the asteroid was a celebration for a “charismatic singer”. While his name and memory has lived on here on Earth, they will-quite fittingly-begin “burnin’ through the sky” and “floating around in ecstasy” for a long, long time out in space now that an asteroid has been renamed in honor of the late singer. One of Mercury’s most famous lyrics is, “I’m a shooting star leaping through the sky / Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity”, from Queen’s 1978 hit “Don’t Stop Me Now”.
