Freddie Mercury in 1982.
(Image credit: Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Queen frontman Freddie Mercury died in 1991; it just so happens that the same year, a distant asteroid was discovered by astronomers. In honor of what would have been the influential singer's 70th birthday, that asteroid is now taking on Mercury's name, BBC reports — a rather appropriate tribute for a man who sang, "I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky."

Queen guitarist Brian May said Asteroid 17473 Freddiemercury reflects "Freddie's outstanding influence in the world."

"It's a dark object — rather like a cinder in space. Viewed from the Earth it is more than 10,000 times fainter than you can see by eye, so you need a fair-sized telescope to see it and that's why it wasn't discovered until 1991," May said. Asteroid 17473 Freddiemercury sits in a belt between Mars and Jupiter, and measures about two miles across.

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"But even if you can't see Freddie Mercury leaping through the sky, you can be sure he's there — 'floating around in ecstasy,' as he might sing — for millennia to come," said Joel Parker of the Southwest Research Institute, which issued the designation.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.