How the world is paying tribute to Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy, the actor known for playing Mr Spock in Star Trek, died on Friday. He was 83.

On Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr thousands of people are paying tribute to Nimoy by posting pictures of them performing his trademark Vulcan salute, under the hashtags #saluteNimoy and #LLAP - which stands for Spock's famous saying "live long and prosper".

The salute is actually based on a Jewish blessing performed by Cohens - believed to be the descendent of biblical priests - in a process called dukhanening. For the majority of Jews living outside of Israel, dukhanening is only performed on festival days. "Most people to this day still don’t know what it’s all about," Nimoy said of the salute in an interview before his death.

President Barack Obama has also paid tribute to the late actor, saying "long before being nerdy was cool, there was Leonard Nimoy".

More: What you didn't know about Leonard Nimoy's Vulcan salute