More than 20 years after his death, Elliott Smith now has his name on an asteroid.

A minor planet discovered in 2014 has officially been named “(861969) Elliottsmith”, in honour of the American singer-songwriter behind songs including “Waltz #2 (XO)”, “Between The Bars” and “Son of Sam”.

The naming was initiated by Edinburgh-based independent filmmaker Orlando Campopiano and approved by the International Astronomical Union’s Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature, according to Stereogum.

Campopiano said the idea came to him while listening to “Shooting Star” from Smith’s posthumous album From A Basement On The Hill, his sixth and final studio album, released a year after his death.

He contacted Smith’s estate, and the proposal was later accepted by the International Astronomical Union.

“We just received official approval, and the designation is now live: Asteroid (861969) 2014 OS439 is officially “Elliottsmith”,” Campopiano said.

“Something very interesting about this is that the catalogue number for the asteroid is 861969, directly mirroring (Smith’s) birth date of 8/6/1969!”

He added: “I hope this introduces at least one new person to Elliott’s brilliant discography, and I’m happy to see a permanent legacy in the stars!”

An official citation published in the IAU’s bulletin said the asteroid was named in honour of the “American musician and songwriter [who was] born Steven Paul Smith on August 6, 1969”.

Smith died in October 2003 at age 34.

He was also known for songs used in Gus Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting, including “Between The Bars”, “Angeles” and “Say Yes”. He also contributed “Miss Misery” to the soundtrack, a song that earned him an Oscar nomination.

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