Happy birthday, Freddie Mercury. Your friend got you an asteroid.
Queen guitarist Brian May announced on YouTube on Sunday the International Astronomical Union named an asteroid, "Asteroid 17473 Freddiemercury." It was originally discovered in 1991, the year Mercury died.
It's just a dot of light, but it's a very special dot of light.
The asteroid is between Mars and Jupiter and is about 2 miles across. May, who has a doctorate in astrophysics, said the space rock is very dark, so observers would need a very good telescope to see it.
Mercury would have been 70 on Sunday.
Today in 1946, Freddie Mercury was born. Here's to our shooting star, Asteroid 17473. 💫💫 (extra love to @DrBrianMay) pic.twitter.com/u6xk8vziq3
— Larkin Poe (@LarkinPoe) September 5, 2016
Queen fans sang "Don't Stop Me Now" to celebrate, thanks to the lyric "I'm a shooting star..."
https://t.co/O0qne4SM83 Asteroid 17473 freddiemercury. This is for you Freddie!! #Freddie70 @DrBrianMay @OIQFC pic.twitter.com/HBsXvQ6qcp
— Mary Queen Taylor (@LongoIda) September 4, 2016
Presumably, one of the moving white dots in this GIF is Mercury's asteroid.
https://t.co/55KmWlUOV8 This is Great! Asteroid 17473 freddiemercury, in honor of our Freddie! Thank you @DrBrianMay pic.twitter.com/c69uVegMli
— Mary Queen Taylor (@LongoIda) September 4, 2016
And here's the certificate marking the IAU's decision.
