The Real Madrid superstar has lent his nickname
to a new discovery in the skies, believed to be the
brightest object found in the early universe
Real Madrid's 'galactico' era may have ended but
their Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo continues
to prove he is out of this world after a galaxy was
named 'CR7'.

The nickname is synonymous with the former
Manchester United man, comprising his initials
and the squad number he used at both Old Trafford
and the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, it now has astronomical connotations
after the European Southern Observatory (ESO)
named a new galaxy in the 30-year-old's
honour, describing it as the brightest to be found
in the early universe.

"Astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope
have discovered by far the brightest galaxy yet
found in the early Universe and found strong
evidence that examples of the first generation of
stars lurk within it," the group explained.

"These massive, brilliant, and previously purely
theoretical objects were the creators of the first
heavy elements in history - the elements
necessary to forge the stars around us today, the
planets that orbit them, and life as we know it.
"The newly found galaxy, labelled CR7, is three
times brighter than the brightest distant galaxy
known up to now."

The CR7 epithet, in astronomical terms, stands
for Cosmic Redshift 7 - a method of measuring a
celestial body's place along the timescale of the
universe.

The discovery came after a new expansive study
of the skies - aimed at discovering ancient stars
known as Population III stars, which were formed
very early after the Big Bang - and it is hoped
CR7 will help scientists understand how early
elements came into being.

"Those stars were the ones that formed the first
heavy atoms that ultimately allowed us to be
here. It doesn’t really get any more exciting than
this," said team leader David Sobral..

http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4099/spain/2015/06/18/12852922/ronaldo-is-out-of-this-world-astronomers-name-galaxy-cr7