LONDON — Brian May traded rock 'n' roll for the big bang as he launched a book about the origins of the universe.

May, who abandoned doctoral studies in astronomy to play guitar with '70s rock legends Queen, has returned to his first love as a co-author of the book "Bang! The Complete History of the Universe."

The book recounts the formation of the universe more than 13 billion years ago and looks forward to its end, several billion years from now.

May, 59, sees similarities between his two great loves, music and astronomy.

"I think there's a sort of purity about both of them," he said.