Freddie Mercury’s out-of-this-world birthday present

The late Queen frontman has been honoured with an unusual gift to celebrate his 70^th birthday – an asteroid.

International Astronomical Union‘s Minor Planet Centre has re-named Asteroid 17473, which was discovered in 1991, the same year he died, after the lead singer of the legendary 70’s British rock band.

So will you be able to see it flying through the sky?

Like a shooting star

You will need a good telescope to spot the 3.5km asteroid – it sits in the main Asteroid Belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, more than 350 million kilometres from the Earth.

Queen guitarist-turned-astrophysicist Brian May, who made the announcement on YouTube, said: “It’s like a cinder in space as many of these asteroids are, but it’s a very special dot of light and maybe one day we’ll get there.”

Mercury isn’t the only celebrity to have an asteroid named after him though – Dr May already does, as well as Sigmund Freud, Buddy Holly and our own Don Bradman.

It definitely beats a new pair of socks.

You can see the YouTube announcement here. Or just watch the singer rocking the original ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ here.