NASA tweets purple Crab Nebula photo in honour of Prince

The National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) on Friday paid tribute to late singer Prince by tweeting a photo of the Crab Nebula in a shade of purple that recalled Prince's album "Purple Rain."

Following the sudden death of Prince (Rogers Nelson) on April 21, tributes have been flooding the internet. NASA contributed its own gesture of gratitude to the singer through a tweet featuring a photo of a purple nebula, meant to evoke the title of Prince's song and album "Purple Rain," accompanied by the words "A purple nebula, in honor of Prince, who passed away today."

A purple nebula, in honor of Prince, who passed away today. https://t.co/7buFWWExMw pic.twitter.com/ONQDwSQwVa

— NASA (@NASA) April 21, 2016

The Crab Nebula is the remains of a supernova, about 6.5 light years from Earth. The shade of purple is artificial, created using a telescope filter. Other famous sights to have been lit up in purple to commemorate the singer include Sydney's Royal Opera House and San Francisco's City Hall.