The rocker astrophysicist is co-author of a three-dimensional atlas of Bennu, an asteroid explored by the Osiris-Rex probe in 2020
Brian May studied physics and mathematics before founding Queen in 1970, returning to school in 2006 with a thesis on the zodiacal dust cloud. Photograph: Matthew Baker/Getty Images
A new book on the world’s first complete atlas of an asteroid is set to be released by University of Arizona planetary science expert Dante Lauretta and the more unlikely figure of Queen’s lead guitarist and little-known astrophysicist Brian May.
The duo have teamed up to author Bennu 3-D: Anatomy of an Asteroid, a book that has been described as the first complete and three-dimensional atlas of an asteroid.
Set to release on Thursday, the book features images and data from the Osiris-Rex mission, an undertaking between Nasa and the University of Arizona to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu.
The mission, which launched on 8 September 2016, will return to Earth on 24 September 2023. It is expected to bring back “pristine material from Bennu – rocks and dust collected from the asteroid’s surface in 2020” and will offer scientists a window into 4.5bn years ago, when the sun and planets were forming, said Nasa.
According to Nasa, Bennu is one of the most potentially hazardous asteroids and has a relatively high probability of impacting the Earth in the late 22nd century. The Osiris-Rex mission will determine Bennu’s various attributes including its physical and chemical properties, which, as Nasa describes, “will be critical to know in the event of an impact mitigation mission”.
In addition to featuring the world’s first atlas of an asteroid, Lauretta and May’s new book will include previously unseen stereoscopic three-dimensional images of Bennu, as well as analysis of what it may reveal about the origins of life.
In the book’s preface, Lauretta describes his first meeting with May back in 2016, writing: “Brian and I corresponded briefly about the mission and my hometown of Tucson, Arizona, where he had spent some time enjoying the natural beauty of the Sonoran Desert and using it for self-reflection, as many do,” Tucson.com reports.
“I was, of course, a huge fan of Brian’s music,” Lauretta, who is the leader of the Osiris-Rex mission, wrote, adding: “The fact that I was corresponding with one of my childhood heroes was beyond cool.
“As the OSIRIS-REx mission progressed, I couldn’t help but share some of the latest developments with him … To my delight, Brian showed a keen interest in the mission and the science behind it. It was clear that he was not just a casual fan, but a true space enthusiast and an advocate for space exploration.”
Lauretta eventually brought May on to the mission, who, alongside his collaborator Claudia Manzoni, created stereo images from original images that were collected by the Osiris-Rex cameras.
The images of the asteroid’s surface ultimately helped researchers find a safe landing site for sample collection.
Speaking about the mission, May said that it “undertook by far the most intimate exploration of any asteroid to date, and here are the results, the fruits of the labours of a huge team of top scientists and engineers”.
“Our aim has been to deliver this extraordinary portrait in a form which is understandable and enjoyable to scientists and non-scientists alike,” May added.
In addition to the book featuring the three-dimensional images, as well as illustrations and maps, Tucson.com reports that it comes with a Lite Owl, a stereoscopic viewer designed by May that allows readers to see the images in their three-dimensional form.
Before founding Queen in 1970 alongside Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor, May studied physics and mathematics at Imperial College London. Following a sensational music career, May returned to his scientific roots at the university in 2006 and completed a thesis that surveyed radial velocities of what is known as the zodiacal dust cloud.
