After the untimely passing of beloved Pop producer, SOPHIE, the International Astronomical Union named an asteroid after her in order to honor the trailblazing artist.
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Last January, the producer who is credited for helping establish Hyper Pop’s roots and shift the landscape of Pop music, tragically passed away after trying to climb up on the roof of her building to get a better view of the full moon in Athens, Greece.
After the 34-year-old’s sudden death was announced, a petition to NASA to name the planet TOI 1338 b after the Avant grade producer surfaced. The petition was created by SOPHIE fan, Christian Arroyo, and garnered over 95,000 signatures, plus support from long-time collaborator and friend, Charli XCX.
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This week, Arroyo updated followers about the petition, sharing that the planet TOI 1338 b won’t be named after SOPHIE, but the RE1 asteroid will now officially be known as Sophiexeon. The asteroid was first discovered by Antonín Mrkos at the Czech Republic-located, Klet Observatory.
The announcement about the Sophiexeon asteroid was made by the IAU in June. However, Arroyo noted that they were not aware of the name change until recently. In a statement about the asteroid’s new name, the IAU described SOPHIE as “a highly influential Scottish singer, songwriter, and producer” who “changed the landscape of pop music in the early 21st century”.
Arroyo added, “Sophie has influenced so many of us, and now she will forever be part of the cosmos. 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.”
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