SYSTEM Sounds

Our Hearing Hubble app with @nasahubble has won a Webby! Our user-controlled image sonification app is the People’s Voice Winner (apps, software & immersive science & education). Thanks to everyone who voted and thanks to @thewebbyawards ! #sonification #nasa #space #interactive

New image sonification of Jupiter with @nasachandraxray ! As the image is scanned left to right, brightness controls volume and height is mapped to pitch (light towards the top is mapped to higher pitches). Infrared light (Captured by Hubble) is mapped to musical pitches. You can hear the bright equatorial band as descending pitches followed by the great red spot. A raster scan of the image is used to create a low drone. A raster scan is when the brightness data along each column is converted to an audio waveform. The same technique was used to encode images on the famous Voyager golden record. Xray ray light (emitted by charged particles in Jupiter’s strong magnetic field) is mapped to pitched woodwinds and non-pitched frequencies to create the wind-like sound. Brightness also controls distortion of the sound. For more information on this sonification, visit chandra.si.edu. #Planets #Jupiter #Space #Science #sonification

New image sonification of Uranus with NASA’s @chandraxray 🪐 Peaking on February 28th in the Northern Hemisphere, people can look up for a special sight: Six planets will all be visible from clear & dark night skies. In celebration of this planetary group project, NASA’s Chandra is releasing three new planetary sonifications: Uranus, Jupiter, and Saturn. In this left to right scan of an optical (Hubble) and x-ray (Chandra) view of Uranus, brightness is mapped to volume and height is mapped to pitch (light towards the top produces higher pitches). The planet’s reflected light is mapped to musical pitches and a low drone is created by performing a raster scan of the image (directly converting the brightness along each column to an audio signal). This is how images were encoded on the Voyager Golden record. The ring is performed on a cello (by Johnny Mok). Again, the height is mapped to the pitch of the note to produce the smooth glissando that follows the arc of the ring. X-ray emission (pink) is mapped to a continuous range of frequencies, producing the wind-like sound. X-ray: NASA/CXO/University College London/W. Dun et al Optical: W.M. Keck Observatory Sonification: NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand, @systemsounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida) #sonification <#766111871727042620> #astronomy #uranus

By translating light into sound, we turned data from some of the world’s most powerful telescopes, including NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, into a new sonification of the Andromeda Galaxy. The Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M31), is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. M31 has played an important role in many aspects of astrophysics, but particularly in the discovery of dark matter. In this sonification, the layer from each telescope has been separated out and rotated so that they stack on top of each other horizontally, beginning with X-rays at the top and then moving through ultraviolet, optical, infrared, and radio at the bottom. As the scan moves from left to right in the sonification, each type of light is mapped to a different range of notes, from lower-energy radio waves up through the high energy of X-rays. Meanwhile, the brightness of each source controls volume, and the vertical location dictates the pitch. Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida) @systemsounds #SoundsOfSpace #chandra #M31 #Andromeda #Galaxy #Sonification #Space #Astrophysics #nasa #Marshall #Telescopes

Image sonification of SS 433, the Manatee nebula! SS 433 is a binary, or double, system about 18,000 light-years away that sings out in X-rays. The two members of SS 433 include a star like our Sun in orbit around a much heavier partner, either a neutron star or a black hole. This orbital dance causes undulations in X-rays that Chandra, IXPE, and ESA’s XMM-Newton telescopes are tuned into. These X-ray notes have been combined with radio and infrared data to provide a backdrop for this celestial waltz. The nebula in radio waves resembles a drifting manatee, and the scan sweeps across from right to left (like a stream running over a manatee sleeping on its back). Light towards the top of the image is mapped to higher-pitch sound, with radio, infrared, and X-ray light mapped to low, medium, and high pitch ranges. Bright background stars are played as water-drop sounds, and the location of the binary system is heard as a plucked sound, pulsing to match the fluctuations of light caused by their orbital dance. Learn more at https://www.nasa.gov/mission/chandra-... Credit: X-ray: (IXPE): NASA/MSFC/IXPE; (Chandra): NASA/CXC/SAO; (XMM): ESA/XMM-Newton; IR: NASA/JPL/Caltech/WISE; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF/VLA/B. Saxton. (IR/Radio image created with data from M. Goss, et al.); Image Processing/compositing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk & K. Arcand; Sonification: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida) @systemsounds Manatee photo by Tracy Colson #sonification #nasa #nebula

Rubin's Cosmic Treasure Chest — for your ears!👂🎶 Experience NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s vast and dense view of the cosmos through sound with our interactive experience, Skysynth! 🎶 Just as an image conveys data visually, a sonification translates data into sound. As you drift, the light from each object shapes the sound you hear. Redder light creates lower tones, bluer light produces higher tones, and the brightness of each object controls the volume. As stars and galaxies pass into view, you will hear distinct musical notes played by chimes or a harp. You can pan and zoom to explore specific regions, or let the sonification drift on its own. Just as no two people will visually explore Rubin’s images the same way, no two listening experiences will be the same. Immerse yourself in a soundscape composed by the cosmos ➡️ skyviewer.app/skysynth --- ¡El Cofre Cósmico de Rubin… para tus oídos! 👂🎶 ¡Explora la vasta y densa visión del cosmos del Observatorio Vera C. Rubin de NSF–DOE a través del sonido con nuestra experiencia interactiva, Skysynth! 🎶 Así como una imagen transmite datos de forma visual, una sonificación traduce esos datos en sonido. Mientras te desplazas, la luz de cada objeto da forma al sonido que escuchas. La luz más roja genera tonos más graves, la luz más azul produce tonos más agudos, y el brillo de cada objeto controla el volumen. A medida que estrellas y galaxias aparecen en pantalla, escucharás notas musicales distintas interpretadas por campanillas o un arpa. Puedes desplazarte y ampliar para explorar regiones específicas, o dejar que la sonificación fluya por sí sola. Al igual que no hay dos personas que exploren las imágenes de Rubin de la misma manera, no hay dos experiencias auditivas iguales. Sumérgete en un paisaje sonoro compuesto por el Universo ➡️ skyviewer.app/skysynth . . . Description: In comments Skysynth with built by @systemsounds 🎶 @nsfgov @energy @auraastronomy @aurainchile @noirlabastro @noirlabastro_es @slac_lab #RubinObservatory #astronomy #astrophysics #sonification

New image sonification of Cen A with @nasachandraxray ! About 12 million light-years from Earth, at the center of Centaurus A, is an enormous black hole that is sending a booming jet across the entire length of the galaxy. This sonification combines X-rays from NASA’s Chandra & IXPE with optical data from the ESO’s MPG telescope. About the sonification: Sweeping around clockwise from the top of the image, the scan encounters Chandra’s X-rays and plays them as single-note wind chimes. X-ray light from IXPE is heard as a continuous range of frequencies, producing a wind-like sound. Visible light data from the European Southern Observatory’s MPG telescope shows the galaxy’s stars that are mapped to string instruments including foreground and background objects as plucked strings. Here’s more info about the sounds in the sonification: - Radar-like scan, clockwise from 12 o’clock - Distance from the center is mapped to pitch (light farther from the center is higher pitched) - Brightness controls volume - Left-right position controls stereo position of the sound Chandra X-ray (blue) - Chandra’s x-ray light is mapped to musical pitches of pure tones - Compact sources are heard as a wind-chime type sound - The strong upper jet pointing towards the top left can be heard at 25 seconds IXPE X-ray (orange) - IXPE’s x-ray light is mapped to a continuous range of frequencies, producing a wind-like sound Optical (yellow) - Light from galaxy’s stars are mapped to musical pitches on sustained string instruments - Compact background galaxies (and a foreground star) are heard as plucked strings X-ray: (Chandra) NASA/CXC/SAO; (IXPE) NASA/MSFC; Optical: (MPG Telescope) ESO; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand, J. Major, and J. Schmidt; Sonification: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida) @systemsounds #space #sonification #sound #music #beautiful #science

A black hole prelude and fugue! ⚫🎶 Three new sonifications — each with a connection to black holes — drop today! First up is a prelude to the potential birth of a black hole, star WR 124, seen here in X-ray light from Chandra and infrared light from @NASAWebb and other telescopes. WR124 is an extremely bright, short-lived massive star known as a Wolf-Rayet at a distance of about 28,000 light-years from Earth. These stars fling their outer layers out into space, creating spectacular arrangements seen in infrared light from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. In the sonification of WR124, brightness is mapped to volume and pitch. The nebula is heard as flutes and the background stars as bells. At the center of WR124, where the scan begins before moving outward, is a hot core of the star that may explode as a supernova and potentially collapse and leave behind a black hole in its wake. As the scan moves from the center outward, X-ray sources detected by Chandra are translated into harp sounds. Data from Webb is heard as metallic bell-like sounds, while the mapped light of the central star produces the descending scream-like sound at the beginning. The piece is rounded out by strings playing additional data from the infrared telescopic trio of ESA’s Herschel Space Telescope, NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope, and NASA’s retired Wide Image Survey Explorer (WISE) as chords. Listen to all the new sonifications at the link in @NASAChandraXray ’s profile! X-ray: (Chandra) NASA/CXC/SAO; Infrared: (Webb) NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/Webb ERO Production Team; Infrared: (Herschel) ESA/NASA/Caltech, (Spitzer) NASA/JPL/Caltech, (WISE) NASA/JPL/Caltech; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major; Sonification: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida) @systemsounds #space #sonification #music #beautiful #science

We’ve developed a new interactive sonification app for @nasahubble called Hearing Hubble! You can control the mapping, the instrument, and the scan direction to explore some of Hubble’s iconic imagery through sound. Thanks @elizabeth_tammi ! www3.nasa.gov/specials/hubble-hearing-app/ #nasa #sonification #hubble #hubble_bubble

We had a blast at #SXSW NASA House: CreateSpace where we premiered the @jpl Sonification Wall. Thousands of people explored the ocean’s temperature and currents through sound and motion (and sometimes dance!). We also had a screening + Q&A of @sailorpi ’s award winning doc Listen to the Universe with @kimberlykowal . Congrats to @kaitsabbott and the NASA team on an incredible weekend. Let’s do it again! This was created was @touchdesigner and @ableton using data from MIT/JPL’s ECCO2 and the GHRSST project. #sonification #nasa #interactive #ocean #sxsw2025 #sxsw #austintexas #austin #touchdesigner #ableton

Image sonification of 30 Doradus! This sonification of the spectacular cosmic vista that is 30 Doradus combines X-rays from @NASAChandraXray  with infrared data from @NASAWebb . X-rays from Chandra reveal gas that has been superheated by shock waves generated by the winds from massive stars. Meanwhile, Webb’s infrared data show cooler gas that provides the raw ingredients for future stars. This is a left-right scan in which the brightness controls the volume and the vertical position controls the musical pitch (light towards the top is mapped to higher pitches). In the Webb Telescope infrared portion of the sonification, the red nebula is mapped to soft low musical pitches, and the wispy white cloud is mapped to harsh, high frequency, wind-like sounds. Stars are played on a piano-like synthesizer, with percussion triangles indicating diffraction spikes. A rain-stick represents stars belonging to the central cluster. More at: https://chandra.si.edu/ Sonification Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida) @systemsounds Image Credit: X-ray (Chandra): NASA/CXC/Penn State Univ./L. Townsley et al.; IR (Webb): NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/JWST ERO Production Team #sound #music #nasa #sonification #accessibility #space #astronomy #science #chandra25

New image sonification of NGC 6872! NGC 6872 is a large spiral galaxy with two elegant arms stretching to the upper right and lower left. Just above and to the left of NGC 6872 is another smaller galaxy. These galaxies, each of which likely has a supermassive black hole at its center, are being drawn toward one another by gravity. The interaction’s tidal forces have extended the larger galaxy’s spiral arms and triggered star formation. An illustrated radial arm sweeps clockwise around the images, starting at twelve o’clock, triggering musical sounds as different elements are encountered. The volume of the music is mapped to brightness, and the pitch is related to the distance from the center; the farther away, the higher the pitch. In the @NASAHubble portion of sonification, a low drone represents the core of NGC 6872, while higher, brighter sounds represent the extended spiral arms. Low plucked sounds represent background galaxies, and cymbals represent foreground stars. In the @NASAChandraXray portion of sonification, wind-like sounds represent the neon purple X-ray cloud, and more compact background objects produce high bird-like chirps. Visual Description: Galaxy NGC 6872 is shown as a static image. The central portion of the galaxy is bright in shades of pinks and purples. The galaxy’s elongated arms transition from being mostly pink to mostly blue as they stretch toward our upper right and lower left. NGC 6872 is backed by a field of stars and distant galaxies, with a neighboring spiral galaxy beside it, to our left. The two galaxies, as well as several bright stars, are engulfed in a neon purple cloud of X-ray gas. X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt, L. Frattare, and J. Major; Sonification: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida) @systemsounds