Last year, a petition addressed to NASA was launched by fan Christian Arroyo for the planet TOI 1338 b to be named after the late SOPHIE, receiving over 95,000 signatures and support from SOPHIE collaborator Charli XCX. Now, the International Astronomical Union’s Working Group Small Body Nomenclature (WGSBN) has revealed it has officially named an asteroid after SOPHIE. RE1, an asteroid discovered in 1980 by Antonín Mrkos at the Kleť Observatory in the Czech Republic, is now officially known as Sophiexeon.
The IAU’s documentation describes SOPHIE as “a highly influential Scottish singer, songwriter, and producer. Sophie was known as an electronic music pioneer whose futuristic style changed the landscape of pop music in the early 21st century.”
“Sophie has influenced so many of us, and now she will forever be part of the cosmos,” Ayorro wrote in their update. “I thank every single one of you who signed and shared this petition, which itself will be kept up as a memorial to the great Sophie Xeon.”
SOPHIE passed away in January of last year at the age of 34, after an accidental fall in Athens, Greece.