Aside from being a rock star as Queen’s guitarist, Sir Brian May has a number of other prominent interests from animal rights campaigning to astrophysics and the 3D illusions of stereoscopy.

Today, the 77-year-old made a surprise appearance at AstroFest, the world's leading astronomy festival, held in London’s Kensington Conference and Events Centre.

Sir Brian, who holds a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College, announced to an audience of several hundred that under his publishing house, The London Stereoscopic Company, he will release a groundbreaking new book – the first ever to explore the wonders of galaxies in 3-D.

Galaxies 3-D: Islands in Infinity is being written by leading astronomer Professor Derek Ward-Thompson and edited by Sir Brian himself.

The 3-D pictures are the creation of J-P Metsävainio, who is acclaimed in both arts and science communities worldwide for his cutting edge astrophotography image processing.

Sir Brian May shared: “I’m excited about this latest addition to the London Stereoscopic Company’s Astro collection. For the very first time, readers will be able to 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 Galactic Evolution, will give 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. It will be a gripping read!!”

The announcement shared: “At AstroFest, Brian and the forthcoming title's author, Professor Ward-Thompson, revealed some first glimpses of the book ’s contents, enthralling AstroFest’s audience of astronomy enthusiasts. They saw rare, breathtaking images of galaxies near the farthest edges of the known Universe - viewed as they were over 13 billion years ago, because the light from them has been travelling towards us ever since an epoch just after the moment of the Big Bang. Thanks to the magic of Metsävainio’s magic processes, they will be viewable in the book in full stereoscopic splendour.”

The announcement added: “With more than 200 colour photographs from the world’s great telescopes, both terrestrial and spaceborne, the stunning coffee table book will provide a mesmerising introduction to the formation, nature, evolution and classification of some of the 200 billion galaxies that inhabit the observable Universe. We’re taken on a journey, travelling through weird and wonderful shapes as great galaxies collide and merge in chaotic and extraordinarily forms. And, moving out towards the edge of the visible Universe, we examine how galaxies gather in clusters and superclusters as we look outwards and back in time towards the beginning of the Universe at the Big Bang.”

Galaxies 3-D: Islands in Infinity will be published this autumn, and each copy comes complete with an Owl Stereoscopic Viewer, designed by Brian May, which will bring the images to life in fantastic 3-D. To find out now, click here.