*** Beatles, Springsteen are stars in the sky, too
(Launch) - The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and Brian Wilson are among
the brightest stars in the music world, and now they're "stars" in
the sky as well. Last week, the International Astronomical Union -
the recognized authority for the naming of celestial bodies --
assigned the names of those legendary musicians, as well as famed
record producer Phil Spector, to a group of recently discovered
asteroids. The names of asteroids are traditionally reserved for
Greek gods, goddesses and other mythological figures, but astronomer
Ian Griffin, who discovered the Springsteen asteroid from Auckland,
New Zealand, said, "It's a case of honoring the people who inspired
our generation." Several asteroids, or "minor planets," were
previously named for Elvis Presley, Jerry Garcia, Eric Clapton and
Frank Zappa.
