An astronomical tribute is made to late Queen singer, Freddie Mercury, as an asteroid is named after him to mark what would have been his 70th birthday.

“I always knew I was a star And now, the rest of the world seems to agree with me.” – Freddie Mercury.

The above video was posted late on Sunday, September 4th, by Queen guitarist Brian May announcing the denomination of Asteroid 17473 Freddiemercury through a certificate of adoption from the International Astronomical Union and the Minor Planet Center.

The nearly two miles wide asteroid was discovered in 1991, the year of Mercury’s passing, and is located in the main Asteroid Belt between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. Only one third of the light which falls upon it is reflected, and so gazing at it will require a rather powerful telescope as a tool. “It’s just a dot of light,” May said in the video, “but it’s a very special dot of light.”

The dedication on the certificate of adoption of the asteroid reads: “for his incredible vocal range and distinctive sound and performance style made him one of the most well known icons of rock music and he is regarded as one of the greatest rock singers of all time. ”

“Freddie Mercury sang ‘I’m a shooting star leaping through the sky’ – now that is even more true than ever before. Today in celebration of his 70th birthday, an asteroid has been named Freddiemercury in honor of the charismatic singer for the band Queen.” added, Joel Parker from the IAU’s Southwest Institute.

The Casino in Monterux, Switzerland also celebrated Mercury’s birthday with their annual fundraising extravaganza held by The Mercury Phoenix Trust. Founded by Brian May, Roger Taylor and their manager Jim Beach in memory of rock band Queen’s iconic lead singer, Freddie Mercury, to raise awareness and funds in the continuous battle against HIV/AIDS.

As legends tend to do, Freddie lives on in the hearts and souls of fans worldwide, continuing to inspire and encourage the ever changing world of rock and roll.

This Freddie Mercury article was written by Gaia Castelfranco, a GIGsoup contributor. Edited by Zoe Anderson.

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