• Bone up on your Queen knowledge for a chance to win autographed items from Brian May
• “One Vision” contest opens November 28 and runs until December 31
• Read the story “Brian May’s world of stereo astro pictures” in the January 2012 Astronomy
• Watch Editor Dave Eicher’s all-time top Queen songs (online subscriber extra)
• And don’t miss May’s story about space exploration in the February 2012 Astronomy
Welcome to the advance warning of a big event here at
Astronomy magazine. Brian May, legendary guitarist of the rock group Queen, Ph.D. astronomer, and
Astronomy Editorial Advisory Board member, is bringing you a special event month beginning November 28. But it’s not too early to start boning up on your knowledge about Queen, one of the world’s most beloved bands, and if you’re good you’ll have a chance to win a prize autographed by Brian.
As a starting point, consider Queen’s legendary performance at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium on July 13, 1985. Called “Freddie’s finest hour” by Brian May, it consisted of a 21-minute medley performance that virtually everyone agreed “stole the show” among an all-star lineup to a worldwide audience of an estimated 1.9 billion people. For a spectacular, upscaled, and retouched version of this segment, see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y8q-cq4P-I.
The highly polished set consisted of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Radio Ga Ga,” “Hammer to Fall,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “We Will Rock You,” and “We Are the Champions.” Can you name the character of the spontaneous audience participation among the 72,000 at Wembley that amazed television audiences during the song “Radio Ga Ga”? That’s the kind of Queen brain teaser that could net you signed goods from Brian when the “One Vision” contest begins November 28.
“One Vision” month doesn’t consist of just our contest, however. You’ll see a story titled “Brian May’s world of stereo astro pictures” in the January 2012 issue of
Astronomy, which will be out on newsstands December 5. The story details Brian’s interest in stereoscopy and creating astronomical images in stereo, a passion that began as a child when he found a stereo card inserted as a prize in a cereal box.
Moreover, look for Brian’s story on the future of space exploration in our February 2012 issue — this provocative essay will definitely be a great read for your New Year.
And lastly, you can check out my ranking of Queen’s greatest songs (with video links to concert and other footage) as an online extra for magazine subscribers throughout the month when the January issue is out.
And we have some other surprises planned for the future, too. I know that you’ll be fascinated to read about Brian May’s astronomical pursuits, and I certainly know how many people I talk to love Queen’s music. So study up and get ready to win some great prizes!
Cheers.