David Bowie has been given his own constellation, which is composed of seven stars which create the shape of a lightning bolt.
Belgian astronomers announced that they have registered the constellation which sits in the vicinity of Mars.
The homage is particularly germane as the artist, who died last week, had his first success with the single Space Oddity. Later he created the persona of Ziggy Stardust, an extra-terrestrial rock star.
Among Bowie’s great hits are Starman and Life on Mars.
It was on the cover of the 1973 album Aladdin Sane that Bowie appeared with a red and blue lightning bolt painted on his face.
The idea for the constellation came from Belgian radio station Studio Brussels who approached the MIRA public observatory.
Philippe Mollet from the MIRA Observatory said 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,” he said.
“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 creation of the constellation is part of the Stardust for Bowie tribute project, where fans can use Google Sky to add their favorite Bowie songs with a short note to a virtual version of the constellation.
Bowie died on 10 January aged 69 after an 18-month battle with cancer.
