CR7 name given to discovered galaxy

Portia Arthur

June 19, 2015 10:17 AM

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the great stars of world football and now one of the oldest and most crucial parts of our galaxy

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portuguese National team player and Real Madrid star, Cristiano Ronaldo's name has been given to a galaxy which houses a cluster of stars thought to have provided conditions pivotal for life to flourish.

The CR7 galaxy, recently discovered by astronomers is said to have existed when the universe was only 800 million years old; some 13 billion years ago.

Dr David Sobral, University of Lisbon, explained that the stars of CR7 "ultimately allowed us all to be here by fabricating heavy elements and changing the composition of the universe".

Sobral, who led a group of astronomers in discovering CR7, confirmed its name was inspired by Ronaldo and the name of the method used to date distant objects in the universe Cosmic Redshift 7.

Real Madrid star Ronaldo, who adopts the mantle CR7 because of his initials and shirt number, won Fifa's Ballon d'Or award in 2013 and 2014 and scored a staggering 66 goals this season.

The former Manchester United has never been short on confidence but it turns out he has been so much more than a star for so long.

Portia Arthur