Boffin and Queen star's galaxy vision is a kind of magic

One of the nation's best loved musicians has teamed up with a boffin from Lancashire for one of the music world's more unusual collaborations.

- by Aimee Seddon

(L-R) Professor Derek Ward Thompson, Sir Brian and J-P Metsavainio at the book's launch event

Prof Derek Ward-Thompson has collaborated with Queen legend Sir Brian May to write a unique book about the wonders of space.

The University of Lancashire astrophysicist has joined forces with Sir Brian and astro-photographic grandmaster JP Metsävainio to produce Islands in Infinity: Galaxies 3-D, which, for the first time, allows people to see deep space objects in three dimensions.

In stereoscopic 3-D, Islands In Infinity provides a introduction to the formation, nature, evolution and classification of some of the 200 billion galaxies that inhabit the observable Universe.

It shows more than 200 colour photographs from the world's great land and space borne telescopes, and more than 80 new artworks created especially for the book.

Using new technology readers are able to see further into the galaxies and gain more insight than ever before.