• Science
  • Space

Astronomers Name Newly Discovered Galaxy After Cristiano Ronaldo

1 minute read
Portugal player Cristiano Ronaldo gestures during the UEFA EURO 2016 Qualifying - Group I soccer match against Armenia held at Republican Stadium in Yerevan, Armenia on June 13, 2015.
Portugal player Cristiano Ronaldo gestures during the UEFA EURO 2016 Qualifying - Group I soccer match against Armenia held at Republican Stadium in Yerevan, Armenia on June 13, 2015.Hugo Delgado—EPA
By Eliana Dockterman

It pays to be an astronomer when you can name newly discovered galaxies after your favorite sports heroes.

A group of scientists has dubbed a recently discovered galaxy COSMOS Redshift 7, or CR7. That’s also the nickname of Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, who wears No. 7 on his jersey, and the inspiration for a Nike cleat dubbed CR7. The lead astronomer, who hails from Ronaldo’s native Portugal, cited Ronaldo as inspiration for the galaxy’s name, the European Southern Observatory said in a statement on Wednesday.

It was described as “an exceptionally rare object, by far the brightest galaxy ever observed at this stage in the Universe.” The name is also a measure of the galaxy’s place in terms of cosmic time.

More Must-Reads from TIME

Write to Eliana Dockterman at eliana.dockterman@time.com