NASA urged to rename planet SOPHIE after the late musician and trans icon
SOPHIE fans are urging NASA to rename this planet in her honour. (SOPHIE/NASA)
SOPHIE died trying to watch the moon, so the trans community is trying to give her a planet.
SOPHIE was trying to see the first full moon of the year when she fell from a ladder and tragically died in the early hours of 30 January. She was just 34.
After the death of the artist, Christian Arroyo created a petition asking NASA to rename the planet TOI 1338 b in her honour.
He explained how she was an influence for the young LGBTQ+ community.
“SOPHIE was a highly influential singer, songwriter, and producer who was a great inspiration to the LGBTQIA+ community,” the petition reads. “Her messages, actions, and music left an insurmountable impression on many LGBTQIA+ individuals.”
Arroyo explained the significance of the idea, noting the similarities between the circumbinary planet (meaning it orbits two stars) and SOPHIE’s Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides album art.
“When artist renditions of TOI 1338 b (a circumbinary exoplanet discovered by Wolf Cukier and fellow scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center) were featured in the press… many fans noticed the similarities between the interpretations and the aesthetic sense of SOPHIE’s visual work, specifically the cover for her 2018 album Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides.
“I am requesting, at the discretion of the incredible scientists who discovered the planet, that TOI 1338 b be named in honour of the great LGBT+ influence, SOPHIE. Her fans would love to pay homage by having her name be remembered in this way and for her influence to continue to flourish for years to come.”
Fans shared their love for SOPHIE in heartwarming tweets following her death, talking about her work and how important she was for the music industry.
Christine from Christine and the Queens tweeted: “Sophie was a stellar producer, a visionary, a reference. She rebelled against the narrow, normative society by being an absolute triumph, both as an artist and as a woman.”
The petition has more than 70,000 signatures at the time of writing, and you can sign it here.
