Belgian Astronomers Pay Tribute to David Bowie With New Constellation

[Miles Archer]

Belgian Astronomers Pay Tribute to David Bowie With New Constellation

Seven stars in the vicinity of Mars form 'Aladdin Sane' lightning bolt

By Daniel Kreps January 16, 2016



http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/belgian-astronomers-pay-tribute-to-david-bowie-with-new-constellation-20160116#ixzz3xRrdNDhE

Belgian astronomers have gazed skyward to find a fitting way to pay tribute to David Bowie following the rock legend's death at 69, dedicating a constellation to the self-proclaimed "Starman." The constellation boasts seven stars that, when connected, form the iconic lightning bolt seen on the cover of Bowie's Aladdin Sane. The interstellar tribute, which appropriately features celestial bodies in the vicinity of Mars, was engineered by Belgium's MIRA Public Observatory and the radio station Studio Brussels, PSFK reports.

Philippe Mollet of MIRA Public Observatory explained in a statement, "It was not easy to determine the appropriate stars. 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 lightning-shaped constellation is just one part of the astronomical tribute to the late rocker, who passed away January 10th following a battle with cancer. A Google Sky initiative dubbed Stardust for Bowie allows fans to create personal tributes within the constellation's borders, whether it's naming a favorite song or leaving a short message to remember Bowie's legacy. Together, each of those tributes combine to brighten the interior of the constellation, making it easy to pinpoint in the Google Sky galaxy.

"An incredible amount of tributes to David Bowie are taking place around the globe this weekend, through every form of the media and using just about every imaginable medium there is," Bowie's official Facebook wrote Saturday morning. "Sadly there are way too many to list here, a Google search of 'David Bowie tribute' returned around 86 million results." Bowie's Facebook also made special mention of Arcade Fire's planned tribute parade today in New Orleans.

[longship]

1. Not a constellation. More properly termed an asterism.

Constellations are defined by astronomers by international agreement. They are how astronomers locate many objects by name. (E.G., Alpha Orionis is also called Betelgeuse.) However, now there are increasingly many catalogs of astro objects known only by catalog numbers which now include their celestial coordinates.

But naming an asterism for David Bowie is certainly cool.

It's like The Coathanger asterism. One can find a arrangement of stars that look like just about anything. So of course the'll be one forDavid Bowie. And visual astronomers can now look through their scopes to see it.

Very cool!
R&K

And it is certainly not near Mars since Mars moves and the stars generally do not.

[KittyWampus]

2. I think he'd get a kick out of that.

[tabasco]

3. There's been a really huge reaction to Bowie's death around the world.

I was surprised at the depth of my own sense of loss. Bowie touched people with his music in a real way. And such a sweet, sweet man.

[Miles Archer]

4. His sense of humor is rarely mentioned

This clip with Ricky Gervais surfaced yesterday and it's a riot:

[tabasco]

5. That is great!

Thank you.