French astronomer names meteoroid after Turkish singer Sezen Aksu

A French astronomer, Jean Claude Merlin, has named a meteoroid he discovered after renowned Turkish singer Sezen Aksu, daily Habertürk has reported.

Merlin said he became a huge fan of Aksu’s voice after hearing it in Turkish director Ferzan Özpetek’s film “Loose Cannons.”

He discovered a new meteoroid while observing the sky via his telescope at home in Arizona on Oct. 24, 2009, adding that he had to come up with a name for the meteoroid before informing the International Astronomical Union about the discovery. 

He finally made his decision upon watching Özpetek’s film, opting to call the meteoroid, which is millions of kilometers away from earth, “266854 Sezenaksu” after listening to Aksu’s song “Kutlama” (Celebration) which was composed by Arto Tunçboyaciyan.
Merlin said he and Aksu had messaged each other a few times following the naming, adding that he was a huge fan and hoped the meteoroid discovery would contribute to her creativeness. 

Merlin is one of the world’s top astronomers and has discovered a number of planets and meteors large and small.

He tends to choose artists’ names for the meteors and planets he has discovered, saying he “loved to bring honor” to what they did and to “make them happy.”

Merlin has also given his other discoveries names like “Marjane Satrapi” (the Iranian-origin French director and writer], “David Lynch” (the American film director), “Motörhead” (the English metal band), and “Rammstein” (the German metal band).