“A sight to behold”: Asteroid officially named after Elliott Smith
More than two decades since his tragic passing, Elliott Smith has been officially immortalised through an asteroid named after the beloved singer-songwriter.
As shared by Stereogum, the International Astronomical Union’s Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature (WGSBN) has officially approved the designation “(861969) Elliottsmith” for a minor planet discovered in 2014.
Eager-eyed fans have noticed that the asteroid’s numerical designation mirrors Smith’s birth date of August 6th, 1969.
The original idea for the touching tribute came from Edinburgh-based independent filmmaker Orlando Campopiano, who found himself gazing longingly at the sky when listening to Smith’s tune ‘Shooting Star’ from his posthumous album, From a Basement on the Hill.
In the song, Smith sings the refrain “you’ll love me sad, shooting star” twice before closing out his quintessentially melancholic guitar song.
From there, Campopiano got in touch with Smith’s estate, with whom he worked alongside to submit a naming proposal to the International Astronomical Union, which was soon accepted.
In a celebratory statement, Campopiano shared, “I hope this introduces at least one new person to Elliott’s brilliant discography, and I’m happy to see a permanent legacy in the stars!”
He added, “To have this tribute to him blessed by the estate and discoverers is also a great honour.”
Smith isn’t the only musician memorialised in the night sky. His namesake now sits alongside the likes of David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Frank Zappa, and all four members of The Beatles.
The exact location of the heart-warming cosmic tribute can be determined through NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s interactive Small-Body Database.
According to the official citation published in the IAU’s bulletin, the asteroid was named for “Elliott Smith, born Steven Paul Smith on August 6, 1969; American musician and songwriter.”
Smith passed away in 2003 at the age of 34 after suffering two stab wounds to the chest. He is survived by a brilliant discography of work which examines the human spirit, love, loss and depression.
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