Freddie Mercury Now a Name of Asteroid; Late Queen Vocalist’s 70th Birthday to be Celebrated
On his supposed to be 70th birthday, Freddie Mercury will have an asteroid named after him,
The Asteroid 17473 discovered on the year Mercury died, 1991 will be named after Queen's frontman.
The International Astronomical Union reported that it measures around two miles across or a 3.5km wide fainting ball and located in the asteroid belt in the midst of Jupiter and Mars orbits. It is described as dark and cinder which made it hard to discover until Belgian astronomer Henri Debehogne discovered it in 1991. It is 350 million kilometers distant from Earth which makes it danger-free to the planet.
The celebration to be held at Montreux Casino, Switzerland is expected to gather 1,250 fans. Guitarist Brian May added that the event serves as an honoring of Mercury's outstanding and influential contributions in the world, BBC reported.
May still perfoms with vocalist Adam Lambert and drummer Roger Taylor. Apart from his musical stints, he is now a doctor after gaining PhD in Astrophysics at the London Imperial College.
Southwest Research Institute, Joel Parker issued the certificate of designation in lieu with the charismatic singer's birthday, He quoted Mercury's lyrics, "I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky" and added that it turned out real now with Asteroid 17473 Freddiemercury.
Professor of Astrophysics at Oxford Chris Lintott said "I think it's wonderful to name an asteroid after Freddie Mercury. He joins a list including all the Beatles, Frank Zappa, Bowie and weirdly, the band Yes." The professor added that it is pleasing to know that the asteroid has an eccentric orbit just like Mercury, The Guardian cited.
Other than the asteroid naming, Mercury was also commemorated with an English Heritage blue plaque in Feltham, West London.
Mercury is known for his band songs including "We Are the Champions," "Bohemian Rhapsody," and "Under Pressure." In the song "Don't Stop me Now" he called himself a shooting star. He released over 12 albums with his band since its debut in 1973 to 1991.
