The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States paid a heartfelt tribute on Friday to the late Brazilian football legend Pele, who died at the age of 82 and is widely regarded as the greatest and most beloved footballer in history.
The space agency posted a unique picture with the caption, "We mark the passing of the legendary Pele, known to many as the king of the "beautiful game." This image of a spiral galaxy in the constellation Sculptor shows the colours of Brazil."
This proves that he was a hero not only for the entire football fraternity and for scores of fans, not just in Brazil but all over the world, but also for the worlds of science and space.
The space agency described the image as "an image of a spiral galaxy with spiral arms dotted with blue stars of varying intensity."
"The core of the galaxy is brightest, and the stars appear yellow-green. The image was taken by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer satellite, or GALEX," it added.
Pele, a three-time World Cup winner who is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, died on Thursday at the age of 82, triggering a wave of tributes from the sports world and beyond. His death after a long battle with cancer was caused by "multiple organ failure," the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo said in a statement, confirming the news from the legend's family.
