You're invited to a stellar book launch

All are welcome to join the live stream book "launch" on Thursday, July 27 of Bennu 3-D, Anatomy of an Asteroid with co-authors Brian May (yes, that Brian May, founder of the band Queen and astrophysicist), and Dante Lauretta, University of Arizona Regents Professor in the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (pictured left and right, respectively).

Event details

• Thursday, July 27
• Time TBD
• The Natural History Museum in London via Zoom (link to come)
• Sponsored by the University of Arizona Press (UA Press)

Bennu the asteroid

Named for the ancient Egyptian phoenix, Bennu was chosen by scientists as the target of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission because of its composition, size, and proximity to Earth. Bennu is a rare B-type asteroid (primitive and carbon-rich), which is expected to have organic compounds and water-bearing minerals like clays. NASA’s premier mission of asteroid exploration launched in 2016.

Bennu can tell us about the future and the past. Because primitive asteroids have not significantly changed since they formed nearly 4.5 billion years ago, Bennu is a time capsule from the dawn of our solar system, and it holds secrets about the origin of life and Earth as a habitable planet. Studying the asteroid is also important in safeguarding the future of Earth.

'Bennu 3-D' the book

"Bennu 3-D" is the world’s first complete (and stereoscopic) atlas of an asteroid, and a unique collaboration between OSIRIS-REx Mission Leader Lauretta and May’s London Stereoscopic Company. Colleagues of Lauretta and May who were part of the successful effort to find a safe landing site for sampling included include Carina Bennett, Kenneth Coles, and Cat Wolner, and Claudia Manzoni. Stereoscope is an optical instrument with two eyepieces used to combine the images of two pictures taken from different points of view to get the effect of solidity or depth.

"Bennu 3-D" details the data gathered by the mission so far. The stereo images were meticulously created by Manzoni and May from original images collected by the OSIRIS-REx cameras; the book's print edition includes 120 illustrations, 50 maps, and 80 stereoscopic images. "Bennu 3-D" is the first UA Press book to include stereoscopic glasses.

Related coverage, links

• Dante Lauretta Hits the Airwaves | UAPress (6/26/23)
• About Bennu - OSIRIS-REx Mission (arizona.edu)
• NASA's “Houston We Have A Podcast” interview with Mission Deputy Project Manager Mike Moreau and Mission Lead Curator Nicole Lunning
• Arizona Public Media’s "The Buzz” interview with NASA Mission Director Lauretta on what will happen when the asteroid sample is brought down to Earth on September 24

About the University of Arizona Press

The University of Arizona Press (UA Press) is the premier publisher of academic, regional, and literary works in the state of Arizona. UA Press disseminates ideas and knowledge of lasting value that enrich understanding, inspire curiosity, and enlighten readers. UA Press advances the University of Arizona’s mission by connecting scholarship and creative expression to readers worldwide.