TRAPPIST Sounds : TRAPPIST-1 Planetary System Translated Directly Into Music SYSTEM Sounds 2017-05-10 | We used a numerical simulation of TRAPPIST-1 to play a piano note every time a planet passes in front of the star (a 'transit') and a drum every time a faster inner planet overtakes its outer neighbour (a 'conjunction'). To assign pitches, we simply scaled up the orbital frequencies by 212 million times to bring them into the human hearing range. The TRAPPIST-1 system is a resonant chain which means that the periods of the planets' orbits are very close to whole number ratios (ex. 3:2, 4:3). This is exactly what makes two musical notes sound consonant when played together and as a result, TRAPPIST-1 creates a beautiful, but slightly twisted harmony. For the same reason, the transits and conjunctions occur in a steady, repeating pattern. The crackling sound heard towards the end is Kepler's K2 lightcurve data of the star's observed brightness sped up by many times. For more information on how this was done watch youtu.be/7i8Urhbd6eI, read about us in the NYT nytimes.com/2017/05/10/science/trappist-earth-size-planets-orbits-music.html and see system-sounds.com.For more information on the TRAPPIST-1 system see trappist.one.Created by Matt Russo, Dan Tamayo and Andrew Santaguida 2017.Numerical simulation and animation performed with REBOUND (http://rebound.readthedocs.io/en/latest)Background image and star animation generated with Universe Sandbox ² (http://universesandbox.com)Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike: Please credit system-sounds.com with all use.
Sonification of Kimberlite Volcanic Eruptions SYSTEM Sounds 2023-07-26 | A sonification of kimberlite eruptions over time. Kimberlites are deep volcanic pipes that can contain diamonds. They appear to have erupted following breakup phases of supercontinent cycles – the recurring pattern of landmass formation and fragmentation through geologic time. In this sonification, each kimberlite eruption is represented by a note, with the pitch of the note corresponding to the reconstructed latitude (that is, paleolatitude) of the eruption. Higher latitudes are associated with higher pitches. The longitude is reflected in the stereo position of the sound. The fragmentation rate of the tectonic plates is represented by sustained minor and major sounds, with darker minor sounds indicating plate merging and brighter major sounds indicating plate breakup. Additionally, the volume of crumbling rock sounds varies with the fragmentation rate, intensifying when the rate is high. Created by SYSTEM Sounds (Matt Russo and Andrew Santaguida)www.system-sounds.comScience input from Tom Gernon, Andrew Merdith and Thea HincksData: Gernon et al. (2023). Rift-induced disruption of cratonic keels drives kimberlite volcanism. Nature, doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06193-3.Kimberlite age data from Tappe et al., EPSL 484, 1-14 (2018) Reconstructions: www.gplates.org
Sonification of Every Gravitational Wave SYSTEM Sounds 2023-05-27 | Experience the cosmic symphony of gravitational waves!This is a sonification of the first 90 confirmed gravitational wave detections, each the result of merging black holes and/or neutron stars. The extracted waveforms are synthesized and played as audio in the actual sequence they were discovered. In the final seconds of each merger the black holes and neutron stars orbit each other faster and faster, reaching frequencies of 10s or 100s of times per second. These frequencies are within the human hearing range so we can listen to each merger unfold in real time. The increasing frequency of their spiralling dance creates a characteristic 'chirp' sound, marking the moment they finally merge. The time between each merger is compressed to let you experience the rhythm and variety of these remarkable cosmic collisions. The first gravitational wave was detected in 2015 using 4km long laser interferometers called LIGO. The black hole merger that created this wave happened over a billion light years away, and hence over a billion year ago. Over the course of 3 observing runs, 89 more gravitational waves were detected, and at an increasing rate as the sensitivity of the detectors was improved. The 4th observing run started on May 24 2023 and holds the promise of even more astounding discoveries.The black holes and neutron stars involved in these mergers are each 10s of kilometers across and orbit each other at a sizeable fraction of the speed of light. In the final few milliseconds the merger releases energy at a greater rate than all of the stars in the observable universe combined. This energy radiates as gravitational waves, carrying the signature of this cataclysmic event across the universe. Video and sonification by SYSTEM Sounds (Matt Russo and Andrew Santaguida)www.system-sounds.comBackground illustration by LIGO/Caltech/MIT/Sonoma State (Aurore Simonnet, http://auroresimonnet.com) Special thanks to Carl-Johan Haster
Sonification with Python - How to Turn Data Into Music w Matt Russo (Part 1) SYSTEM Sounds 2022-05-02 | I'm Dr. Matt Russo, astrophysicist, musician, and NASA sonification specialist. I'll teach you how to convert any data into music with simple python programming (and a little bit of music production). This is the technique we used to convert 1 billion years of lunar impacts into music and it's probably simpler than you think!This tutorial is designed for people who are new to sonification or relatively new to programming with python. You'll need to know basic python syntax and functionality. The code files contain a more complete version of the jupyter notebook shown in the video, with many comments to explain what is going on. There's also a version of the code that is simplified and compressed into a single python script. Choose a different data set and create your own data-driven musical world. Download data & code: github.com/SYSTEMSounds/sonification-tutorials Interactive web-based code (no installation required!): bit.ly/3KZYXdUMoon Impacts Converted Into Music: youtube.com/watch?v=ANYxkwvb8pcRead the article on Medium: medium.com/@astromattrusso/sonification-101-how-to-convert-data-into-music-with-python-71a6dd67751c Please tag @system_sounds on Twitter or @systemsounds on IG if you create something using this code. We'd love to hear it!Part 2 is available on Gumroad. It extends this lesson to show you how to control musical parameters other than just pitch and volume. It also develops some convenient functions that help streamline and speed up the process. astromattrusso.gumroad.com/l/data2music-part2 Complete this survey to let me know what to teach next: bit.ly/3DImNc9Install links:- python: python.org/downloads- jupyter: jupyter.org/install- pandas: pypi.org/project/pandas- matplotlib: pypi.org/project/matplotlib- audiolazy: pypi.org/project/audiolazy- midiutil: midiutil.readthedocs.io/en/1.2.10:00 Intro0:38 How it works3:09 Launching jupyter5:41 Loading data7:32 Plotting data10:09 Writing mapping function11:55 Compressing time15:45 Normalizing and scaling data18:18 Choosing musical notes22:58 Mapping data to MIDI note numbers25:45 Mapping data to MIDI velocity 27:08 Saving MIDI file29:06 Opening MIDI file in Logic34:48 Outro Sonification Handbook: https://sonification.de/handbook/Data Sonification Archive: https://sonification.designsystem-sounds.comastromattrusso.com
Sonification of Heartbeat Stars (Kepler Light Curves Converted Into Sound) SYSTEM Sounds 2022-04-11 | Heartbeat stars are binary stars with very eccentric (oval-shaped) orbits. At their closest approach, tidal forces deform at least one of the stars into an egg-like shape. This makes it appearer suddenly brighter or dimmer and when you plot the brightness over time it resembles an electrocardiogram recording of a heart beat. Speeding up this signal by many times and converting it into sound lets you hear the heartbeat of these stellar companions. The close interaction can also excite the stars, making them pulsate in time with the heartbeat. These pulsations have a higher frequency and can be heard as higher pitched tones in between beats. Over 170 heartbeat stars are known and of these, only a few dozen have stellar pulsations. We have chosen 5 of these, sped up time by about 2 million times, and increased the 'pitch' by about 23 octaves. The graphs in the video show the stars' brightness fluctuations, their physical separation, and the frequency spectrum off the signal. Sonification and video by SYSTEM Sounds (Matt Russo & Andrew Santaguida)Data was recorded by the Kepler space telescope and accessed from the MAST archive. For more information visit system-sounds.com
Pillars of Creation Sonification SYSTEM Sounds 2020-09-24 | A sonification of the iconic image of the Pillars of Creation (M16). This is a composite of optical light captured by Hubble and X-rays captured by Chandra. The image is converted to sound using a version of the inverse spectrogram method. Time flows left to right, pitch indicates the vertical position of light sources (high towards the top), and volume communicates the brightness and structure of the nebula. To listen to the individual layers separately visit https://chandra.si.edu/photo/2020/sonify/ and for more astronomical sonifications visit http://www.system-sounds.com.This sonification was a collaboration with NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand and ourselves, M. Russo & A. Santaguida (SYSTEM Sounds) as part of NASA's Universe of Learning program. Image credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI;
Hubbles New Image of the Cosmic Reef Converted to Sound SYSTEM Sounds 2020-04-25 | Hubble’s *new* image of the Cosmic Reef converted to sound! Colour is mapped to pitch (red=low, blue=high) and brightness controls volume. The red nebula (hydrogen & nitrogen) is a stellar nursery while the blue one (oxygen) is created by material ejected from an extremely bright, massive star. 30 years of Hubble bringing the mysteries of the universe into focus.Video/sonification by @systemsounds system-sounds.com Image by NASA, ESA, STScl
Hubble Image of Helix Nebula Converted to Sound SYSTEM Sounds 2020-04-24 | Hubble image of the Helix Nebula converted to sound. Colour is mapped to pitch (red=low, blue=high) and brightness controls volume. Red indicates the presence of hydrogen and nitrogen and blue indicates oxygen. Nebulae like this are formed when a low mass star sheds some of its outer material near the end of its life (red giant stage). The Helix Nebula, or Eye of Sauron, is 655 light years away and 3 light years across. It appears half the size of the full moon (huge!) and Hubble images were combined with wide field images from NOAO’s Mosaic Camera to make this image. Video/sonification by SYSTEM Sounds (system-sounds.com)Image by NASA, NOAO, ESA, the Hubble Helix Nebula Team, M. Meixner (STScI), and T.A. Rector (NRAO).
Giant Leaps - Apollo Program Data Sonification (NASA) SYSTEM Sounds 2019-06-20 | To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, NASA asked us to convey the history of the Apollo mission's influence through sound. In this piece, the note pitches indicate the amount of scientific activity associated with Apollo and with NASA's subsequent missions to explore the moon. Higher pitches indicate greater numbers of articles, citations, and patents associated with certain keywords. This data used is plotted over time.The string instruments and pulsing electric piano represent activity related to the words 'Apollo' (blue), 'Apollo Samples' (red), and 'Apollo Images' (yellow). Brass instruments represent the later lunar missions (Clementine, Lunar Prospector, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, ARTEMIS, GRAIL, LADEE).The passage of time is indicated by percussion instruments: Clock ticks = monthsSnare drums = yearsBass drums = decades Cymbals crashes = rocket launches (and the start of the ARTEMIS mission)This was featured as part of the NASA Explorers: Apollo audio series: www.nasa.gov/nasa-explorers-apollo Created by SYSTEM Sounds (Matt Russo, Andrew Santaguida)system-sounds.comData compiled by NASA with Google Scholar
The First 4000 Exoplanets - Animation and Sonification (360° Video) SYSTEM Sounds 2019-06-13 | On June 13, 2019, the number of known exoplanets passed 4000 according to the NASA Exoplanet Archive! To celebrate, we have animated their discoveries in time and converted them into music. A circle appears at the position of each exoplanet as it is discovered with a colour that indicates which method was used to find it (see below). The size of the circle indicates the relative size of the planet's orbit and the pitch of the note indicates the relative orbital period of the planet. Planets with longer orbital periods (lower orbital frequencies) are heard as low notes and planets with shorter orbital periods (higher orbital frequencies) are heard as higher notes. The volume and intensity of the note depends on how many planets with similar orbital periods were announced at the same time. The discovery of a single planet will be quiet and soft while the discovery of many planets with similar periods is loud and intense. The quiet background hum is created by converting the colours of bright stars that appear in the Milky Way into sound. Radial Velocity (Pink), Transit (Purple), Imaging (Orange), Microlensing (Cyan), Timing Variations (pulsar, transit, eclipse, pulsation) (Red), Orbital brightness Modulation (Yellow), Astrometry (Grey)Watch the full sky version of this video here: youtu.be/EAUwsXSENA4 For more information visit: www.system-sounds.com/exoplanets4kCreated by SYSTEM Sounds (Matt Russo, Andrew Santaguida)system-sounds.comData from the NASA Exoplanet Archive: exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/
The First 4000 Exoplanets - Animation and Sonification (Full Sky Version) SYSTEM Sounds 2019-06-13 | On June 13, 2019, the number of known exoplanets passed 4000 according to the NASA Exoplanet Archive! To celebrate, we have animated their discoveries in time and converted them into music. A circle appears at the position of each exoplanet as it is discovered with a colour that indicates which method was used to find it (see below). The size of the circle indicates the relative size of the planet's orbit and the pitch of the note indicates the relative orbital period of the planet. Planets with longer orbital periods (lower orbital frequencies) are heard as low notes and planets with shorter orbital periods (higher orbital frequencies) are heard as higher notes. The volume and intensity of the note depends on how many planets with similar orbital periods were announced at the same time. The discovery of a single planet will be quiet and soft while the discovery of many planets with similar periods is loud and intense. The quiet background hum is created by converting the colours of bright stars that appear in the Milky Way into sound. Radial Velocity (Pink), Transit (Purple), Imaging (Orange), Microlensing (Cyan), Timing Variations (pulsar, transit, eclipse, pulsation) (Red), Orbital brightness Modulation (Yellow), Astrometry (Grey)Experience the 360° Version of this video here: youtu.be/X7x97uxcBY8 For more information visit: www.system-sounds.com/exoplanets4kCreated by SYSTEM Sounds (Matt Russo, Andrew Santaguida)system-sounds.comData from the NASA Exoplanet Archive: exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/
Hubble Image of Galaxy Cluster Converted Into Sound (Part 2: Abell 370) SYSTEM Sounds 2019-03-26 | An image of galaxy cluster Abell 370 taken by the Hubble space telescope is converted directly into sound. Time flows from left to right and the frequency of sound changes from bottom to top, so that objects near the bottom of the image are heard as the lowest tones. Compact galaxies create brief tones while elongated spiral galaxies produce longer notes that can change pitch. Listen for the two massive elliptical galaxies near the cluster's core and the bright foreground star at the bottom right. The cluster's enormous mass (mostly dark matter) warps spacetime so that it acts like a giant magnifying lens. This distorts the image of more distant galaxies creating arcs such as 'The Dragon' just below the large elliptical galaxy on the bottom left.Video/sonification by SYSTEM Sounds (Matt Russo/Andrew Santaguida)Image by ESA/Hubble Listen to Part 1: youtu.be/IHIwDHsrGOcVisit system-sounds.com for more.
Hubble Image of Galaxy Cluster Converted Into Sound SYSTEM Sounds 2019-03-04 | An image of a treasure trove of galaxies taken by the Hubble space telescope is converted directly into sound. Time flows from left to right and the frequency of sound changes from bottom to top, so that objects near the bottom of the image are heard as the lowest tones. Compact galaxies and a few foreground stars create brief tones while elongated spiral galaxies produce longer notes that can change pitch. Listen for the greater number of galaxies near the center of the image (in the mid-frequency range) where they cluster around a massive elliptical galaxy. The entire cluster is known as RXC J0142.9+4438 and this image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on August 13, 2018. The cluster's enormous mass distorts spacetime and acts like a giant magnifying lens, giving us a closer (although distorted) view of galaxies that lie far beyond the cluster. Created by SYSTEM Sounds (Matt Russo/Andrew Santaguida) with NASA/Hubble: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13061Listen to Part 2! youtu.be/jHLwJTbyBTs and visit system-sounds.com for more.
Moon Elevation Converted Into Sound Wave SYSTEM Sounds 2019-01-17 | The precise elevation of the Moon's entire surface has been mapped by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's laser altimeter (LOLA) to create a topographic map. We have scanned through every row of this image and converted the elevation measurements directly into a sound wave. It's like spiralling around the Moon with a giant record needle. Since each line of the image is similar to the lines before and after, a periodic wave emerges that slowly morphs as it moves South across the Moon's surface. Visit system-sounds.com/moon-impacts for more information.This sound was used in a sonification of the Moon's impact craters: system-sounds.comCreated by Matt Russo, Andrew Santaguida, and Dan TamayoData: LRO LOLA Elevation Model
1 Billion Years of Moon Impacts Converted Into Music SYSTEM Sounds 2019-01-17 | Scientists have recently been able to determine the age of 111 of the Moon's larger impact craters that are younger than about 1 billion years old. Here you can listen to these impacts occur within 1 minute with larger craters producing louder and deeper notes. The sustained cello-like drone in the background is created by converting the elevation of the Moon's entire surface directly into a sound wave (youtu.be/C0XQGaBJz7k). The craters were dated by studying how fast the ejected material cools during the lunar nighttime. The debris from older craters has crumbled more over time and the smaller pieces are able to cool very fast. Younger craters are still surrounded by ejected boulders which stay warmer for longer. Surprisingly, the data shows that lunar impacts became more frequent about 290 million years ago. This indicates that the Earth likely also faced a greater rate of impacts at that time, although many of the impact craters have long disappeared. For more info visit system-sounds.com/moon-impactssystem-sounds.comCreated by Matt Russo, Andrew Santaguida, and Dan TamayoData: Mazrouei et al (Science 2019) http://science.sciencemag.org/content/363/6424/253
The Light Curves and Orbits of the K2-187 Exoplanets Converted Into Music SYSTEM Sounds 2019-01-08 | K2-187 is one of the rare extrasolar systems in which all known planets find themselves close to an orbital resonance. When their motion is represented as sound we find them to be playing the same uneasy harmony used in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. We begin by converting the star's raw light curve into musical notes based on this harmony, with brighter measurements heard as higher notes. The star's brightness fluctuates but dips down as a planet passes in front (this is how these planets were discovered in November 2018). Then, we overlap all of the dips caused by each planet to make them easier to see and hear. Finally, you will hear the rhythms and harmony of the orbits themselves. The planets spiral inwards towards the end which may have been how they ended up so close to their star. In fact, the inner planet is an Ultra Short Period planet which orbits its star every 18 hours. This is fast enough too make you dizzy but that's expected in the Vertigo solar system.For more information visit system-sounds.com/k2-187Created by Matt Russo, Andrew Santaguida, and Dan Tamayo
Pythagorean Dream: The K2-138 Exoplanets Converted Into Music SYSTEM Sounds 2019-01-07 | K2-138 is one of the most musical solar systems ever found. Its inner 5 planets were discovered by citizen scientists in January of 2018 and an outer 6th planet was announced in January of 2019. The 6 planets form an unbroken chain of near-resonances which means that their motion can be converted into musical rhythms and harmony. This is done by speeding them up and bringing their orbital frequencies into the human hearing range. This system was initially tuned while the planets migrated slowly through their birth disk. Since the disk disappeared, their orbits have been changing slightly and they are now in desperate need of a tune up!The inner 5 planets all find themselves close to 3:2 resonances (for every 2 orbits of one planet, the next one inwards orbits 3 times). Due to this simple pattern, each pair plays the interval of a perfect 5th (the first two notes of 'Twinkle, Twinkle, little star'). In a nod to the father of the 'Music of the Spheres', these 5 planets follow the tuning system designed by Pythagoras himself in which all notes are related by a perfect 5th. For more information visit: system-sounds.com/k2-138Created by Matt Russo, Andrew Santaguida, and Dan TamayoDiscovery of 5 inner planets: Christiansen et al 2018 arxiv.org/abs/1801.03874
The Entire Light Curve of the K2-187 Exoplanets Converted Into Music SYSTEM Sounds 2018-12-03 | The 4 planets of K2-187 were discovered by looking for slight dips in the brightness as each one passes in front of their star (the 'transit' method). This data was collected by the Kepler Telescope's K2 mission and we have converted every measurement into a musical note by assigning the dimmer measurements to lower notes. We used the harmonic minor scale to match the actual harmony that these planets produce when their motion is converted into musical pitches (see link below). Although many transits can be easily seen and heard, some are hidden by the star's own natural variability making planet detection a tough task, especially for the smaller planets (the innermost planet is only 1.3 times larger than Earth). The entire piece represents about 75 days of observation with a measurement being taken every 30 seconds. Listen to the real harmony of K2-187: youtu.be/m2XWbkO-QTUThis system's validation was published in November 2018 by J. Livingston et al: http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/aae778Created by Matt Russo, Andrew Santaguida, and Dan Tamayosystem-sounds.com
The Four Light Curves of the K2-187 Exoplanets Converted Into Music SYSTEM Sounds 2018-12-03 | The four planets of K2-187 were discovered by looking for slight dips in the brightness as each one passes in front of their star (the 'transit' method). We have converted the brightness data into musical notes by assigning the dimmer measurements to lower notes. The data is mapped to the harmonic minor scale to match the actual harmony that these planets produce when their motion is converted into musical pitches (see link below). Melodic and rhythmic patterns emerge as a result of overlaying the data from several transits of each planet. Listen to the real harmony of K2-187: youtu.be/m2XWbkO-QTUThis system's validation was published in November 2018 by J. Livingston et al: http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/aae778Created by Matt Russo, Andrew Santaguida, and Dan Tamayosystem-sounds.com
The Music of the K2-187 Exoplanets SYSTEM Sounds 2018-12-03 | The orbits of K2-187's 4 planets are converted into musical notes by bringing their orbital frequencies into the human hearing range. Each planet's note is played once per orbit as it passes front of its star when viewed from Earth (a 'transit'). This system's suspenseful sound is a result of many near-resonances that conspire to produce the same harmony used in the theme music of Hitchcock's Vertigo. It serves as the soundtrack for the dizzying orbits of these 4 tightly-packed planets which take between 18 hours and 13 days to orbit their Sun-like star. In fact, the short year of inner planet presents its own mystery as it has somehow ended up much closer to its star than where it must have formed. As one of the rare cases where such an 'Ultra-Short Period' planet is accompanied by many close neighbours, this system my provide the clue that finally solves this puzzle.Hear the data used to discover these planets converted into music: youtu.be/s4oHbpgBORsThis system's validation was published in November 2018 by J. Livingston et al: http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/aae778Created by Matt Russo, Andrew Santaguida, and Dan Tamayosystem-sounds.com
The Sound of the Black Widow Pulsar SYSTEM Sounds 2018-08-13 | The Black Widow pulsar (PSR B1957+20) rotates at a frequency of 622.1 Hz, producing a radio signal can be heard as an Eb note when converted into sound. The pulsar gets its name from the fact that it is slowly destroying its partner, using its wind to blow material off the surface of the brown dwarf. This creates a clumpy comet-like tail of plasma that passes between the pulsar and Earth every 9.2 hours. The tail acts like a giant magnifying lens (or amplifier) causing the series of irregular flickers you can hear in the pulsar's signal. Is the brown dwarf trying to signal S.O.S.?In May 2018, astronomers used this magnifying lens to see two regions of intense radiation that are 20 km apart from 6500 light years away, one of the highest resolution observations in the history of astronomy. The distortions caused by the lens are similar to those seen in repeating FRBs (fast radio bursts) and may be an important clue in uncovering the origin of the mysterious bursts. system-sounds.com Research paper: R. Main et al 2018 (Nature) go.nature.com/2AHq8LDPress release: bit.ly/2Oa97vxYou can find music created with this data here: youtu.be/PRV-poahPfsand a narrated version here: youtu.be/8c1umevz1ck
Song of the Black Widow Pulsar (Instrumental) SYSTEM Sounds 2018-08-13 | The Black Widow pulsar is slowly blasting material off the surface of its partner, giving the brown dwarf a long comet-like tail. The pulsar's beam is magnified as it passed through the clumpy tail, getting up to up to 40 times brighter. This is similar to the way that starlight twinkles after passing through the Earth's atmosphere. All of the sounds in this video are created using actual data of the pulsar's signal which was collected by the Arecibo radio telescope. The pulsar's radio emission is converted directly into sound, creating an Eb note that flickers every time beam is magnified. The percussive instruments are triggered by these magnification events and the pitched sounds are created by shifting the pulsar's typical signal to different notes by speeding up or slowing down time. system-sounds.com Research paper: R. Main et al 2018 (Nature) go.nature.com/2AHq8LDPress release: bit.ly/2Oa97vxWatch the narrated version here: youtu.be/8c1umevz1ckand hear the isolated sound of the pulsar flickering here: youtu.be/PHNeDlZp-Uk
Song of the Black Widow Pulsar (Narrated) SYSTEM Sounds 2018-08-13 | The Black Widow pulsar is slowly blasting material off the surface of its partner, giving the brown dwarf a long comet-like tail. The pulsar's beam is magnified as it passed through the clumpy tail, getting up to up to 40 times brighter. This is similar to the way that starlight twinkles after passing through the Earth's atmosphere. All of the sounds in this video are created using actual data of the pulsar's signal which was collected by the Arecibo radio telescope. The pulsar's radio emission is converted directly into sound, creating an Eb note that flickers every time beam is magnified. The percussive instruments are triggered by these magnification events and the pitched sounds are created by shifting the pulsar's typical signal to different notes by speeding up or slowing down time. system-sounds.com Research paper: R. Main et al 2018 (Nature) go.nature.com/2AHq8LDPress release: bit.ly/2Oa97vxYou can find the instrumental version here: youtu.be/PRV-poahPfsand the isolated sound of the pulsar flickering here: youtu.be/PHNeDlZp-Uk
The Sound of Jupiters Moons SYSTEM Sounds 2018-05-22 | The orbits of Jupiter's Galilean moons transform from rhythms to notes as their motion is sped up from 30 thousand to 250 million times their actual speed. This corresponds to 15 to 28 octaves above their actual frequencies and as they begin orbiting faster than 20 times per second (20 Hz), the repetitive beat morphs into sustained musical harmony. This demonstrates that rhythm and pitch are the same thing, perceived at different speeds. The inner three moons Io, Europa, and Ganymede are locked in a 4:2:1 orbital resonance which means that they play the same note but in different octaves. Callisto and Ganymede are nearly in a 12:5 resonance and the notes they create are close to an octave and a minor 3rd apart. The crazy geometric patterns are a type of optical illusion called aliasing (or the wagon wheel or stroboscopic effect) which occurs when the moons orbit too fast to be represented by the limited frame rate. As time is sped up the inner three moons lock into their shapes together due to the simple relationship between their orbits.system-sounds.comCreated by Matt Russo, Andrew Santaguida, and Dan Tamayo
Play Saturns Rings Like a Harp - Demo SYSTEM Sounds 2018-04-09 | While grazing the surface of Saturn's rings on July 7, 2017, the Cassini spacecraft captured the highest resolution color image ever of the intricate patterns found within the central B Ring. We've converted all 2 million pixels of this image into musical notes with the brighter rings producing higher pitches and made it interactive so you can play it for yourself. Visit system-sounds.com/saturn-harp to help Cassini relive its final days with one last song.This app was featured as the Astronomy Picture of the Day on April 24, 2018! apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180424.html
True Love Waits - The Inner Solar System Plays Radioheads Saddest Song (Feat. Thom Gill) SYSTEM Sounds 2018-03-01 | The orbital motion of the solar system's terrestrial planets are converted into musical pitches and rhythms and in an impressive and depressive cosmic coincidence, it appears that they're attempting to play True Love Waits, Radiohead's saddest song (rcharlie.com/post/fitter-happier/). To help them out, we enlist singer-songwriter Thom Gill to cover the vocals and choose real asteroids that naturally provide the required bass notes. The entire swarming asteroid belt produces the deep drone that begins and ends this gloomy cosmic dance. More info at system-sounds.com/true-love-waitsCreated by Matt Russo, Dan Tamayo, and Andrew SantaguidaVocals by Thom Gill isthisthomas.bandcamp.comVocals visualized with the Tennant Music Visualizer johnmatthewtennant.comSimulation performed with REBOUND rebound.readthedocs.ioTrue Love Waits written by Radiohead.Created with the support of the IAU's Office of Astronomy for Development and the Ontario Arts Council.
TRAPPIST-1 Pinball Lights - HotPopRobot/SYSTEM Sounds SYSTEM Sounds 2018-02-25 | The HotPopRobot Maker Family and SYSTEM Sounds have converted the harmonic orbits of the TRAPPIST-1 planets into a cosmic pinball light show! Hear the full story from HotPopRobot themselves:We are a Maker Family and love working on space and science projects. TRAPPIST-1 is a planetary system, located 39 light years away from the Solar system, within the constellation of Aquarius. The parent star is an ultra-cool red dwarf star only slightly larger than Jupiter, and there are at least seven planets in orbit. These planets are in harmonic resonance: if their orbital motion could be sped up, they would produce music. Inspired by the work of SYSTEM Sounds we decided to create a physical rendering of the TRAPPIST-1 where the motion of the planets controls a rhythmic light show, synchronized to the music of the system itself. This required making, learning musical notes, coding, Arduino, relays, led lights and lot more: a very challenging project!For more information visit: www.hotpoprobot.com and www.system-sounds.com and follow us on twitter @wonrobot, @system_sounds, @astromattrusso
Dan Tepfer/TRAPPIST-1 SYSTEM Sounds 2018-01-03 | One of the world's most adventurous musicians plays, and plays with, one the galaxy's most enchanting planetary systems. Dan Tepfer uses a Yamaha Disklavier in conjunction with his own looping software to record and play back the pitches and rhythms of the TRAPPIST-1 planets. These notes result from bringing the planets' actual orbital frequencies into the human hearing range. Dan then uses this planetary harmony to launch into his own improvised exploration. Visit dantepfer.com to hear more from Dan and system-sounds.com to learn about the remarkable music of TRAPPIST-1.
The Pleiades Play Hip Hop (Light Curves Converted To Sound Waves) SYSTEM Sounds 2017-11-01 | The brightness variations of the seven brightest stars in the Pleiades cluster are converted into sound waves. Six rich, harmonic tones are produced by the complex oscillations of 'slowly pulsating B stars' while a pure, low tone of Maia is produced by a large chemical spot on its surface rotating in and out of view every 10 days. These massive stars light up a cloud of gas and dust they happen to be passing through, creating the cluster's famous reflection nebula. The image of the cluster and nebula is converted into sound by interpreting the image as a spectrogram (youtu.be/xzjlj2fYdR4).Hear the isolated light curves at system-sounds.com/pleiades Light curve data from White et al 2017 arxiv.org/abs/1708.07462For more information visit system-sounds.com
The Pleiades Star Cluster Converted Into Sound SYSTEM Sounds 2017-10-31 | A image of the famous Pleiades star cluster and its reflection nebula is translated into sound by interpreting the image as a spectrogram. This audio is used in 'The Pleiades Play Hip Hop' youtu.be/8fuqQCLg9_U. Visit system-sounds.com for more information.
Matt Russo at Hart House Orchestra’s Performance of The Planets SYSTEM Sounds 2017-10-29 | Matt Russo talks about the deep connection between music and astronomy at Hart House Orchestra's performance of Holst's The Planets. This was part of The Planets: A Musical Odyssey of Evolution, Environment and Exploration which was presented by The Royal Canadian Institute for Science on October 29, 2017.
Harmony of the Rings: Matt Russo at the Ontario Science Centre’s Saturn-Day Star Party SYSTEM Sounds 2017-10-08 | Two and a half millennia after mathematician Pythagoras said "There is music in the spacing of the spheres", scientists and musicians are still discovering new symphonies hidden among the universe's planets and stars. Dr. Matt Russo explains how some planets make music to save themselves from destruction and shows that Saturn's rings sound as beautiful as they look. Matt is joined by musician Andrew Santaguida for a live performance of music composed by the solar system's crown jewel. For more astro-music visit system-sounds.com This was live streamed from the Ontario Science Centre's Saturn-Day Star Party on Oct. 7, 2017.
Music Of The Spheres: The Harmonic Series Played By Planets SYSTEM Sounds 2017-09-30 | The first 16 notes of the musical harmonic series are played by a hypothetical planetary system. The frequency of each planet, which determines its pitch and rhythm, is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency played by the outer planet (1, 2, 3,…,16). These are also the pitches produced when an oscillating string is divided into equal length segments or the rhythms produced when a bar of music is divided into equal lengths of time. For more info visit: system-sounds.comen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic_series_(music)Created by Matt Russo, Dan Tamayo and Andrew Santaguida 2017.Inspired by GIF master Dave Whyte @beesandbombsNumerical simulation and moon animation performed with REBOUND (rebound.readthedocs.io/en/latest)Background image and star animation created with Universe Sandbox ² (universesandbox.com)Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike: Please credit system-sounds.com with all use.
Saturns B Ring, for Harp and Drums (Excerpt) SYSTEM Sounds 2017-09-10 | We converted the highest resolution color image of Saturn's rings into music. The brightness of each pixel is used to control the harp notes and drum sounds as well as their intensity. The notes correspond to the first 13 notes of the harmonic series. The image was taken on July 6, 2017 and shows a section within Saturn's dense B ring in natural color. Watch the full video here: youtu.be/VUZXl4tpabsFor more information and other sonifications of Saturn's rings and moons visit system-sounds.com
Saturns B Ring, for Harp and Drums (Full) SYSTEM Sounds 2017-09-10 | We converted the highest resolution color image of Saturn's rings into music. The brightness of each pixel is used to control the harp notes and drum sounds as well as their intensity. The notes correspond to the first 13 notes of the harmonic series. The image was taken on July 6, 2017 and shows a section within Saturn's dense B ring in natural color.For more information and other sonifications of Saturn's rings and moons visit system-sounds.com
The Spooky Sound of Waves in Saturns Rings: Resonances of Janus and Epimetheus SYSTEM Sounds 2017-09-06 | Many of Saturn's moons launch spiral density waves within the rings at the locations of resonances. These are the places where the motions of particles that make up the rings harmonize with the motion of a moon, with both of them executing different numbers of complete orbits in the same time. For example, particles at a 2:1 resonance complete 2 orbits for every 1 orbit of a certain moon. We converted the waves of all the '1st order' resonances of the sister moons Janus and Epimetheus into sound. These moons share an orbit but swap places every four years and this dance can be clearly seen and heard here. Density waves caused by resonances with other moons as well as wakes caused by Saturn's 'ravioli' moon Pan which orbits within the rings are also present.For more information and other sonifications of Saturn's rings and moons visit system-sounds.com
Sonification of Saturns Rings (Dark Side) SYSTEM Sounds 2017-09-05 | To convert Saturn's remarkable ring system into sound we increased the natural orbital frequencies of ring particles so that they produce notes in the human hearing range. From the outer edge to the inner edge, the resulting pitch sweeps upwards from a D# to a G# an octave and a half higher. The brightness variations observed in the rings by the Cassini spacecraft were used to modulate the volume of the tone. For this version, we used an image of the dark, unilluminated side of the rings. In the diffuse outer and inner regions (the A and C rings) the darkness corresponds to the lowest density regions and gaps. In the dense middle region (the B ring) the rings appear dark where light is prevented from making it through from the other side.
Sonification of Saturns Rings (Bright Side) SYSTEM Sounds 2017-09-05 | To convert Saturn's remarkable ring system into sound we increased the natural orbital frequencies of ring particles so that they produce notes in the human hearing range. From the outer edge to the inner edge, the resulting pitch sweeps upwards from a D# to a G# an octave and a half higher. The brightness variations observed in the rings by the Cassini spacecraft were used to modulate the volume of the tone. For this version, we used an image of the bright, illuminated side of the rings. For more information visit system-sounds.com
SATURN Sounds Part 2: Resonances Of Janus Translated Into Music SYSTEM Sounds 2017-08-23 | Saturn’s co-orbital moons Janus and Epimetheus play a musical scale within the planet’s rich ring system. The moons excite spiral density waves at 'resonances' where the motion of particles in the rings harmonize with the motion of the moons. The orbital frequencies of the moons and resonances are increased by 23 octaves so that their notes can be heard by human ears. A guitar is played for every orbit of Janus and Epimetheus while a cello sustains a note for each resonance within the rings. Zooming in reveals one of the dramatic spiral density waves recently photographed by the Cassini spacecraft. The observed brightness variations of the wave are used to modulate the volume of the cello and also of a ghostly sonification of the pattern’s frequency spectrum.For more information on how this was done visit system-sounds.com.Created by Matt Russo, Dan Tamayo and Andrew Santaguida 2017.Numerical simulation and moon animation performed with REBOUND (rebound.readthedocs.io/en/latest)Ring art by Alpha-Element (alpha-element.deviantart.com)Background image and Saturn animation created with Universe Sandbox ² (universesandbox.com)Raw image of density wave taken by the Cassini Spacecraft (saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/galleries/raw-images)Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike: Please credit system-sounds.com with all use. Madness, as you know, is like gravity, all it takes is a little push.
SATURN Sounds Part 1: Moons And Rings Translated Into Music SYSTEM Sounds 2017-08-23 | Saturn's major moons and ring system are converted into music and provide a soundtrack for the Cassini spacecraft's final plunge into the planet. A note is played for each moon's orbit with pitches determined by their actual orbital frequencies, but increased by 27 octaves so that they can be heard by human ears. The same pitch scaling is applied to the entire ring system while the volume of the resulting tone follows the observed brightness variations of the rings. The final sound is created by combining the oscillation frequencies of Saturn itself.For more information on how this was done visit system-sounds.com Created by Matt Russo, Dan Tamayo and Andrew Santaguida 2017.Numerical simulation and moon animation performed with REBOUND (rebound.readthedocs.io/en/latest)Ring art by Alpha-Element (alpha-element.deviantart.com)Background image and Saturn animation created with Universe Sandbox ² (universesandbox.com)Ring mosiac created with images taken by the Cassini Spacecraft (NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute)Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike: Please credit system-sounds.com with all use. Cooper, this is no time for caution.
Play TRAPPIST Sounds: Interactive Web App Demo SYSTEM Sounds 2017-08-08 | TRAPPIST-1 is the most musical system ever discovered and now you can conduct its planetary symphony by simply pressing buttons and moving sliders in a new interactive web application: www.system-sounds.com/trappist-sounds/play Hear our original sonification of TRAPPIST-1 and learn about what makes this system so special at www.system-sounds.com/trappist-sounds
