Sounds of the Universe

This One Hour is set within sounds created from the aurora borealis. This results due to the plasma that the sun constantly boils off and emits into space. These charged particles, protons and electrons, interact with the atoms in the earth’s atmosphere, acting as an injection of energy, which pushes electrons around the structure of the atom. When the atoms resettle, they release this energy as light particles, or photons. Oxygen gives off green light, while nitrogen emits light that is red or blue. The shape of these light clouds often follows force lines from the earth’s magnetic field, creating arc or spiral shapes.

Datasets describing solar winds contain measurements of proton density and temperature. The sound is meant to suggest the colored shining lights by creating extended “flashing” sounds at a rate set from the proton density; these overlap to create an indistinct, shimmering cloud. Its brightness depends on the temperature, with higher temperatures increasing the brightness.

In addition to the shining sound, there is a sound meant to suggest the presence of flying particles. These “particle sounds” appear at a rate that is proportional to the proton density, with their timbre changing with temperature.

This track also includes sounds derived from the spectrum of the remnants of the supernova called the Crab Nebula. These are derived in the same way as the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation (described in Slow Joe Rain), but with a popping, dusty sound added to the shimmery sound that plays the contour of the graph as a melody.

www.nasa.gov

DATA SOURCE: Berkeley Center for Cosmological Physics

Also in the mix are rhythms derived from the spectrum of the barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Eridanus (NGC1300) (see Starlight Starbright for more on sonifying galactic spectra). This galaxy was given sound meant to resemble a cosmic gong.

"The hours spent with Fred were pure nourishment to me. Wherever we were—whether it was in Paris, London, or the Library of Congress—he had this great rhythm. I couldn’t imagine Fred on the dance floor, but with a book in his hand, he was Nureyev."This site is dedicated to my dear friend and colleague Fredric Lieberman. The man with the well stretched ear.