An astrophysicist from the University of Lancashire has joined forces with Queen legend Sir Brian May to create a book about space.
Professor Derek Ward Thompson teamed up with Sir Brian and astro-photographer J-P Metsävainio to produce Islands in Infinity: Galaxies 3-D.
A visually immersive journey through the cosmos that brings galaxies to life in stereoscopic 3D.
Two years in the making, the book features more than 200 images captured by some of the world’s most advanced land and space telescopes, along with more than 80 original artworks.
Each copy comes with a Lite OWL Stereoscopic Viewer, designed by Sir Brian May himself, to transform the images into breathtaking 3D.
Professor Ward-Thompson, director of the University’s Jeremiah Horrocks Institute, said: “Writing the book was a lot of fun.
“I would sketch out a rough draft of each chapter, then I would take it to meet Brian, the publisher, and artist at Brian’s house to go through it.
“This book is truly unique.
“For the first time you will see deep space objects in three dimensions.
“This has never previously been possible because of the vast distances across space.
“But with the new software invented by our co-author, J-P, it has now been made possible through the art of stereoscopy.”
Sir Brian, who holds a PhD in astrophysics, described the project as ‘a gripping read.’
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Sir Brian said: “For the very first time, readers can enjoy stereoscopic renderings of galaxies previously only seen as flat ‘mono’ images.
“And this, coupled with a text from one of the world’s experts on the evolution of galaxies, gives a uniquely new insight into the Universe as it is now perceived.
“Moreover, it’s an account understandable and enjoyable by anyone interested in the biggest subject in the Universe – not just astro experts.”