AN asteroid orbiting around Mars and Jupiter has been named after late singer Freddie Mercury, according to The Guardian.

Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May announced that Mercury had received the tribute on Monday – what would have been his 70th birthday. The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center designated Asteroid 17473 in Freddie's name.

Mercury died in November 1991, around the time Belgian astronomer Henri Debehogne discovered the asteroid.