NASA transforms the Bullet Cluster galaxies and the Crab Nebula into space music



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Using a technique called sonification, NASA has generated two new pieces of music based on data from important celestial destinations: the Bullet Cluster and the Crab Nebula. As with previous sonification projects, these two videos present the data in a whole new way, allowing audiences not only to see the two regions, but also to hear them as a form of music.

Sonification, in simple terms, is a technique that involves the acquisition of data, the assignment of sounds to different parts of the data and then the generation of a piece of audio that makes it possible to listen to the data. NASA typically releases its space observations as images and, for good reason, humans are visual creatures, after all.

But sonification offers a unique opportunity to experience this data in a new way: listening to it as music. We saw a few examples of these sonification pieces from NASA this year, the latest with the bullet cluster of colliding galaxies, as well as the Crab Nebula. Each produced a unique piece of music, one high and sparkling, the other dramatic and moody.

The Bullet Cluster is known for providing the first direct evidence of dark matter, according to NASA, while the Crab Nebula has fascinated humans for centuries. The space agency used data acquired from its Chanda X-ray Observatory, as well as the Spitzer Space Telescope and Hubble, to generate the audio.

If you like this type of work, you can find more NASA sonification pieces through the Universe of Sound website. Many important space destinations have been transformed into music, including a black hole, the Pillars of Creation, the galactic center, Cassiopeia A and more.

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