17473 Freddiemercury
Appearance
Asteroid 17473 Freddiemercury,[1] also known as (17473) 1991 FM3, is a main-belt asteroid that was discovered by Henri Debehogne at the La Silla Observatory in Chile on March 21, 1991.[2] On 5 September 2016 the International Astronomical Union and the Minor Planet Centre named it "Freddiemercury" after Freddie Mercury, as the asteroid was discovered in the year that the singer died. The naming was announced by Brian May at Montreux Casino to mark the singer's 70th birthday.[1] It is approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) across, and orbits between Mars and Jupiter.[3]
See also
Reflist
- ^ a b "Freddie Mercury: Asteroid named after late Queen star to mark 70th birthday". BBC News. 6 September 2016.
- ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser". Retrieved 5 September 2016.
- ^ "A shooting star leaping through the sky: asteroid named after Freddie Mercury on '70th birthday'". Telegraph. 5 September 2016.