New iconic images obtained by space missions such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble and Spitzer telescopes have been translated into sounds so that we can enjoy them in another way .
The data sonification project is led by the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) as part of NASA’s Universe of Learning (UoL) program.
Universe of Learning
Here is an image of the Bullet Cluster , which provided the first direct evidence of dark matter. Chandra X-rays (pink) show where the hot gas is in two merged galaxy clusters.
Data showing dark matter is represented by the lowest frequencies, while X-rays are mapped to the highest frequencies.
The Crab Nebula , meanwhile, has been studied by people since it first appeared in Earth’s sky in 1054 AD.
For the translation of this data into sound, which also shifts from left to right, each wavelength of light has been paired with a different family of instruments. Chandra X-rays (blue and white) are percussive sounds, Hubble optical light data (purple) is stringed, and Spitzer infrared data (pink) can be heard like wind instruments.
On February 24, 1987, observers in the southern hemisphere spotted a new object in the Large Magellanic Cloud , a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.
One of the brightest supernova explosions in centuries and soon became known as Supernova 1987A (SN 87A) . This time span shows a series of Chandra (blue) and Hubble (orange and red) observations taken between 1999 and 2013.