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A new trio of “data sonification” examples from NASA missions provide a new method for enjoying an arrangement of cosmic objects. Data sonification translates information gathered from various NASA missions, such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Spitzer Space Telescope, into sound.
This image from the Bullet Cluster (officially known as 1E 0657-56) provided the first direct evidence of dark matter, the mysterious invisible substance that makes up the vast majority of matter in the Universe.
Chandra’s X-rays (pink) show where the hot gas in two merging galaxy clusters has been ripped away from dark matter, seen through a process known as “gravitational lensing” in Hubble data (blue) and ground-based telescopes. By converting it to sound, the data is shifted from left to right, and each data level is limited to a specific frequency range. Data showing dark matter is represented by the lowest frequencies, while X-rays are assigned to the highest frequencies.
The galaxies in the image revealed by the Hubble data, many of which are in the cluster, are found at medium frequencies. Then, within each layer, the pitch is set to increase from the bottom of the image upward so that objects upward produce higher tones.
The Crab Nebula has been studied by people since it first appeared in the Earth’s sky in AD 1054.Modern telescopes have captured its enduring engine powered by a rapidly spinning neutron star that formed when a massive star was collapsed. The combination of rapid rotation and a strong magnetic field generates jets of matter and antimatter that flow away from its poles and wind outward from its equator.
For the translation of this data into sound, which also moves from left to right, each wavelength of light has been combined with a different family of instruments. Chandra’s X-rays (blue and white) are brass, Hubble’s optical light data (purple) are strings, and Spitzer’s infrared data (pink) can be heard in woods. In any case, the light received towards the top of the image is reproduced as higher notes and a brighter light is played harder.
On February 24, 1987, observers in the southern hemisphere saw a new object in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. This was one of the brightest supernova explosions of the past few centuries and soon became known as Supernova 1987A (SN 87A). This time frame shows a series of Chandra (blue) and Hubble (orange and red) observations made between 1999 and 2013.
This shows a dense ring of gas, which was ejected from the star before it became a supernova, begins to glow brighter as the supernova shock wave passes. As the focus shifts to the image, the data is converted into the sound of a crystal Tibetan bell, with brighter light being heard as higher, stronger notes. The optical data is converted into a higher note range than the X-ray data so that both wavelengths of light can be heard simultaneously. An interactive version allows the user to play this astronomical instrument for himself.
The data sonification project is led by the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) as part of NASA’s Universe of Learning (UoL) program. NASA’s Science Activation Program strives to empower NASA science experts and to incorporate NASA science content into the learning environment effectively and efficiently for students of all ages. The collaboration was led by visualization scientist Kimberly Arcand (CXC), astrophysicist Matt Russo and musician Andrew Santaguida (both from the SYSTEMS Sound project).
Related links
Chandra X-ray Observatory
Stellar chemistry, the universe and everything in it
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CNO solar neutrinos observed for the first time
Mainz, Germany (SPX) November 26, 2020
Scientists who are members of the Borexino Collaboration have provided the first experimental evidence of the occurrence of the so-called CNO cycle in the Sun: they managed to directly detect the distinctive neutrinos generated during this fusion process. This is an important step on the way to better understanding the fusion processes occurring in the Sun. At the same time, although the CNO cycle plays a minor role in our Sun, it is most likely the predominant way of producing energy in … read more more
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