Queen’s Brian May releases first solo single in 20 years, ‘New Horizons’ and it was shared in the most galactically epic way possible: from NASA’s Control Centre on New Year’s Day.
It was only fitting that the single be released from space as not many may know that Brian may actually holds a PhD in astrophysics. May also worked with NASA on the New Horizons mission’s science team. NASA’s New Horizons probe launched toward Pluto in 2006. On New Year’s Day, it flew past MU69, which is a trans-Neptunian object located in the Kuiper belt, a region of primordial objects that hold the keys to understanding the origins of the solar system further.
After New Horizons completed its mission at Pluto, which it first reached in July 2015, scientists decided to send the probe to this new target, MU69.
May was asked by NASA to write a song for New Horizon’s flyby to MU69, though the iconic rock guitarist said he was initially reluctant about it, saying in an interview to The New York Times,
“I thought this is going to be hard, because I can’t think of anything that rhymes with Ultima Thule”
The final song used some quotes from the late great scientist Stephen Hawking, who recorded a video message when the NASA probe flew by Pluto. Hawking’s words included in the song were as follows,
“The revelations of New Horizons may help us to understand better how our solar system was formed.”
The Queen veteran hasn’t released a solo single since ‘Why Don’t We Try Again’ from 1998’s ‘Another World’.
NASA’s New Horizons mission is en route to achieve the most distant spacecraft flyby in history on New Year’s Day.
Check out the song below: