Reality Check: You Can’t Actually Name Stars for David Bowie

We fact-check claims that a constellation shaped like a lightning bolt has been registered in the rocker’s name.

David Bowie is a star in the firmament of musical artists, but is he now to become a literal field of stars? It seems that some enterprising fans are claiming to have named a constellation for the late British musician as a tribute in the heavens.

The Belgium-based MIRA Public Observatory and a local radio station announced online Wednesday that they have teamed up to to register a constellation in the shape of a lightning bolt, as seen in Bowie’s makeup on the 1973 Aladdin Sane album cover.

Amid an outpouring of affection and grief for this globally beloved artist, many online international outlets have since picked up the story. Unfortunately, many lack the astronomical details and are unclear on how

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