Brian May received an unexpected honour for his environmental and conservation work as the Starmus Festival opened in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on Saturday evening.
The Queen guitarist and astrophysicist was presented with a Jane Goodall Earth Medal during the opening ceremony at the capital’s port. It came as something of a surprise, even to May himself.
He was recognised for helping give wildlife a voice and supporting rescued animals in sanctuaries across the UK. Climate campaigner Christiana Figueres also received the medal, presented by members of Jane Goodall’s family.
The award had not been announced publicly in advance. The festival had originally revealed only that Figueres would receive the honour, leaving May rather taken aback when his own name was called.
As a co-founder of Starmus, May has worked alongside Goodall, including on the design of the medal. He admitted he was overwhelmed by the surprise, clearly not expecting to end up on the receiving end of an award himself.
Music Meets Space Exploration
The opening ceremony was hosted by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, with performances from Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman and Brian May, accompanied by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Las Palmas.
Three Artemis II astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen, also collected the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication.
Their message focused on cooperation, hope and the importance of looking after our planet. Not a bad reminder, given that we only have the one.
The Starmus Festival continues across Tenerife and La Palma until 22 October, bringing together musicians, scientists, astronauts and researchers for a mix of music, science and space exploration.
Full details and tickets are available on the Starmus website.