Asteroid named in honor of Freddie Mercury to mark 70th birthday

An asteroid is now being named after the late Queen singer in honor of his 70th birthday which would have been today, September 5.

Freddie Mercury, who would have turned 70 on Monday, has had an asteroid named after him to celebrate the occasion.

To honor the day that would have been Freddie Mercury’s 70th birthday, the International Astronomical Union IAU officially renamed an asteroid after the iconic Queen frontman.

The asteroid in question is estimated to be between 3 kilometers and 5 kilometers in diameter, and orbits the sun about once every 3.5 years in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Other famous figures to have asteroids named in their honour include Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Harry Potter author JK Rowling. The asteroid, which measures around 2 miles across, is not easily spotted by the naked eye as it is incredibly faint, and therefore it wasn’t discovered until 1991. The video was played during a party honoring Mercury’s birthday at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland in aid of Mercury Phoenix Trust.

Thanks to May, the asteroid was able to be named in time for this milestone in Mercury’s life, which was tragically cut short as we all know.

May said the naming of the asteroid was in honour of “Freddie’s outstanding influence on the world”.

“It’s like a cinder in space, as many of these asteroids are”.

Watch here for more information and to see Mercury’s asteroid in orbit.

NASA research astronomer and director at the Southwest Research Institute, Joel Parker, is credited with issuing the Certificate of Designation.

‘Even if you can’t see Freddiemercury leaping through the sky, you can be sure he’s there’. In addition to the initials already matching, 1991 was the year Mercury died.

Last week, English Heritage unveiled a blue plaque on Mercury’s childhood home in London, near Heathrow Airport.