Your friendly neighborhood astronomer
A mesmerizing celebration of the Juno mission, and the creatures of a small blue planet who sent a tiny spacecraft to Jupiter, for no other reason than sheer curiosity.
Created for Apple Music, it’s haunting and inspiring at the same time. There’s a few more tracks I’ll have to check out as well.
You can keep track of the Juno mission at the Southwest Research Institute’s Juno site.
One of the things I love about science is that it gives us insight into what would otherwise be a mysterious and confusing world to live in. True, there are things that we still don’t quite yet fully understand, but what we have learned in just a cosmic blink of an eye is truly astonishing.
But sometimes communicating science to the public is, ironically, a challenge for those who practice it. Thankfully, we have some incredible artists and science communicators who pick up the slack, and in so doing, not only excite the public, but those of us who already “know” science as well. The latest example:
Terra Lumina is a project by John D. Boswell and William Crowley, aka MelodySheep, the same artists who brought us the amazing Symphony of Science series. Unlike Symphony of Science, Terra Lumina is a collection of original music. Despite the lack of auto-tuned scientists, the music conveys the awe and beauty of the natural world. It’s a different vibe from some of the Symphony of Science work, and that’s entirely appropriate as there is more than one way to sing the universe’s praises.
If you want to get a taste, head over to the Terra Lumina website, or check out this really cool preview video:
Suffice to say, this just made my Wish List for this Christmas 🙂
Supernovae are the most powerful explosions in the universe this side of the Big Bang itself. There are a souple of different ways for stars to go supernova, but Type 1a Supernovae shine with a well-known brightness. Thanks to this characteristic, astronomers can use these explosions to measure the distances to their host galaxies, and figure out cool things such as the expansion of the universe.
They can also be used to create music. Feat your eyes and ears (be sure to go full screen to see the fireworks):
This eerie, hypnotic tune was created by Dr. Alex Parker, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Alex used survey data from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) over a three-year period from 2003 – 2006. During this time, 241 Type Ia supernovae were detected in the four star fields surveyed.
Alex assigned each supernova a unique note based on the following criteria:
Volume = Distance: The volume of the note is determined by the distance to the supernova, with more distant supernova being quieter and fainter.
Pitch = “Stretch:” The pitch of the note was determined by the supernova’s “stretch,” a property of how the supernova brightens and fades. Higher stretch values played higher notes. The pitches were drawn from a Phrygian dominant scale.
Instrument = Mass of Host Galaxy: The instrument the note was played on was determined by the properties of the galaxy which hosted each supernova. Supernovae hosted by massive galaxies are played with a stand-up bass, while supernovae hosted by less massive galaxies are played with a grand piano.
The result is a mesmerizing sonata without a rhythm, tempo, or measure, played for us by the titanic destruction of stars in the distant past.