NASA Pays Tribute to Soccer King Pelé with a Spiral Galaxy Brimming with Brazil's Colors

NASA paid a tribute to the passing of Pelé, the King of Football, with a lively spiral galaxy in the constellation of the Sculptor that displays Brazil's flag colors.

The photo was posted on Thursday, Dec. 29, on all of the space agency's social media accounts.

According to Harvard University, the constellation was named between 1750 and 1754 at the Cape of Good Hope observatory by astronomer Nicholas Louis de Lacaille. It is located in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere.

The Sculptor is a massive yet mysterious object that is around 500 million light-years away from Earth.

"We mark the passing of the legendary Pelé, known to many as the king of the 'beautiful game.' This image of a spiral galaxy in the constellation Sculptor shows the colors of Brazil," NASA wrote in the image's caption.

The King's Legacy

For playing "the beautiful game" for Brazil in his 1958 World Cup debut, Pelé earned the nickname "The King."

His majestic and inspiring presence made him one of the most established names in the world and was largely regarded as one of soccer's best players, having won a record three World Cups.

Pelé passed away on Thursday at the age of 82, he has been battling colon cancer since last year.

His adventure began on the streets of Sao Paulo state, where he would kick a sock filled with rags or newspapers, which ultimately propelled his nation to the pinnacles of soccer. He then went on to become a global soccer ambassador.

According to AP, his total goals are around 650 for league matches and 1,281 for all senior matches and also low-level competitions.

Pelé became the youngest player to ever join the World Cup when he made his debut at 17 in 1958 in Sweden.

Due to his fame, Nigerian civil war groups agreed to a temporary cease-fire in 1967 so he could play an exhibition match there. In 1997, the Queen of England Elizabeth II knighted him.

NGC 300

The color composite image of the galaxy NGC 300 integrates ultraviolet observations from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer with image data from the Carnegie Institution of Washington's 100-inch telescope at Las Campanas Observatory.

NASA also employed the ultraviolet light detectors aboard Galaxy Evolution Explorer, representing the blue portions of the photo.

The picture shows the process of star formation. While yellow-green older stars are concentrated in the nuclear regions, young blue stars dazzle at the galaxy's outer spiral arms.

As shown by the visible-light image of the galaxy, gases heated by young, hot stars as well as shocks brought on by winds from giant stars and supernova explosions shine in pink hues.

NGC 300 is a member of the Sculptor Group, a neighborhood collection of galaxies that is only around 7 million light years away. Similar to our own Milky Way, it is also considered a spiral galaxy.