When legendary Star Trek veteran and Spock actor Leonard Nimoy passed away last February 27th, the world felt the same kind of overwhelming sadness Captain James T. Kirk felt when he lost his Half-Human, Half-Vulcan best friend during the events of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. While the torch has certainly been passed to a new generation of Star Trek actors that include Zachary Quinto as the new Spock, Nimoy’s mark in Hollywood extended beyond Trek Lore, and he was an accomplished film director, photographer, author, poet, and songwriter among his list of awe-inspiring credentials.
Now a new honor has been added to the legacy of the man who played Spock, as Slate reports that Asteroid 4684 has been named “4684 Nimoy” after the legendary American actor. The minor planet is part of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and was first discovered in 1988. 4684 Nimoy orbits around the sun every 3.9 years, and is rougly 10km across.