An asteroid, gift for Freddie Mercury on his 70th birthday – BBC World

Image copyright PA

Image caption Freddie Mercury, whose real name was Farrokh Bulsara, died in 1991, the same year that the asteroid was discovered.

In the song “Do not stop me now” (Do not stop me now), Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen, sang “I’m burning in the sky, yeah (…) I’m traveling at the speed of light “.

the song was recorded in 1978 and 28 years later we can say that the letter makes more sense than ever.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the singer, age had completed this September 5, the International Astronomical Union decided to call “Freddiemercury 17473″ to an asteroid identified until recently only as “17473″ .

La chose this rocky body because it was discovered in 1991, the same year that Mercury died of bronchopneumonia because that was complicated by AIDS suffering.

Although the asteroid not traveling at 300,000 kilometers per second as light, Queen guitarist Brian May, believes that this “baptism” recognizes “the exceptional influence of Freddie in the world “.

” So, with the first public presentation of Freddiemercury happy birthday Freddie! “May said during a tribute to Mercury in Switzerland.

the asteroid Freddiemercury is located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and is about 3.2 kilometers in diameter.

Image copyright IAU

Image caption the new name of the asteroid was formalized by the Astronomical Union International.

“It’s a dark object. Since the Earth is about 10,000 times more pale than what would directly. A telescope of high power to detect it is needed, so not discovered until 1991, “said May, guitarist of Queen, also a doctor in Astrophysics at the University Imperial College London.

During the weekend, May held several events in honor of Mercury, as unveil a commemorative plaque on Feltham, London suburb of west London that Mercury emigrated at age 16 from his native Tanzania .

in issuing the certificate of appointment, Joel Parker, of the Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, United States, said the decision was a celebration by the “charismatic singer”.

“Freddie Mercury I sang ‘I’m a shooting star leaping heaven ‘and that’s truer now than before,’ “he said.

“ Although no one can see Freddie Mercury ‘jumping the sky’ one can be sure you will be there, “ floating in ecstasy ” as singing, for millennia “.