“Queen guitarist Brian May has handed in his astronomy PhD thesis - 36 years after abandoning it to join the band.
May recently carried out observational work in Tenerife, where he studied the formation of “zodiacal dust clouds”.
The subject forms the basis of a 48,000-word thesis for Imperial College, London, where 60-year-old May studied before becoming a rock star.
“It’s been the longest gap year ever,” May said. “It was a tough decision back then to leave my studies for music.”
But the star said that at the time, his “passion for music was stronger”.
“I’m so proud to be here today,” he told BBC London. “Astronomy has always interested me. I used to love sitting at home and watching Sir Patrick Moore on the Sky at Night.”
