If you’ve ever wondered what space sounds like, NASA has you covered.
The space agency has released several videos of how two supernovae and a cluster of colliding galaxies sound, thanks to its “data sonication” program.
The Bullet Cluster, a cluster of galaxies 3.7 billion light-years from Earth that provided the first evidence of dark matter, can be seen through the gravitational lens in this video.
“By turning this into sound, the data paned from left to right and each data layer was limited to a specific frequency range,” NASA wrote on its website. “Data showing dark matter is represented by the lowest frequencies, while X-rays are assigned to the highest frequencies. Image galaxies revealed by Hubble data, many of which are in the cluster, are in mid-range frequencies. Then, within each layer, the tone is set to increase from the bottom of the image to the top so that the objects at the top produce higher tones. “
The Chandra X-ray Observatory, which has been studying distant galaxies for almost a generation, helped produce this video of the Crab Nebula, which was first discovered in 1054 AD.
NASA added that the nebula’s “durable engine” can be seen with modern telescopes. The rotation of the nebula and its strong magnetic field, which “generates rays of matter and anti-matter flowing from its poles,” resulted in different wavelengths, each associated 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 the woodwinds,” he added. NASA. “In each case, the light received towards the top of the image reproduces as the higher notes are played and the stronger light is played more strongly.”
The third video shows the visualization of a supernova explosion known as 1987A Supernova, discovered in 1987.
The 1987A supernova, which is about 168,000 light-years from Earth, “was one of the brightest supernova explosions of centuries,” NASA said on its website.
The time lapse video shows observations taken between 1999 and 2013, with the Chandra X-ray Observatory indicated by the blue and the Hubble with orange and red.
“This shows a dense ring of gas, which was ejected by the star before it passed into the supernova, it begins to glow as it passes through the supernova’s shock wave,” NASA continued. “As the focus surrounds the image, the data becomes the sound of a crystal bowl, feeling a more intense light as higher and stronger notes. Optical data becomes a higher range of notes than X-ray data, so both wavelengths of light can be heard simultaneously. An interactive version allows the user to play this astronomical instrument for himself. “