David Bowie to Get Constellation Named After Him
SDSS, DSS Consortium, NASA/ESA/STScl
The stars look very different today, indeed. A radio station in Belgium has teamed up with astronomers to pay tribute to David Bowie in a way that befits rock's definitive "Starman." They've registered a seven-star pattern that resembles the lightning bolt that adorns Bowie's face on the cover of 1973's Aladdin Sane. Coincidentally, the constellation is "in the vicinity of Mars."
DDB Brussels is reporting that Studio Brussel contacted the MIRA Public Observatory in Grimbergen, a suburb of the Belgian capital, about finding a way to honor Bowie, who died on Jan. 10 after an 18-month battle with liver cancer.
"It was not easy to determine the appropriate stars," Philippe Mollet from MIRA said. "Studio Brussels asked us to give Bowie a unique place in the galaxy. Referring to his various albums, we chose seven stars - Sigma Librae, Spica, Alpha Virginis, Zeta Centauri, SAA 204 132, and the Beta Sigma Octantis Trianguli Australis - in the vicinity of Mars. The constellation is a copy of the iconic Bowie lightning and was recorded at the exact time of his death."
The observatory has also created a website called Stardust for Bowie. They are asking fans to click on a free space inside a Google Sky representation of the constellation and enter their favorite Bowie song. A marker will be placed inside the constellation to help "make it shine."
Bowie's death has seen a tremendous spike in sales of his music in the U.K. There are currently 19 Bowie albums, including three compilations, on the Top 100 Albums chart, with his latest, Blackstar, at No. 1. Additionally, he has placed 13 songs on the singles chart.
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