NASA’s Chandra Observatory has created a mesmerizing music video by converting the light from different wavelengths of the Andromeda galaxy into musical notes. The video combines observations of the galaxy collected by powerful telescopes, including some of the world’s most advanced instruments.
The sonification process involves stacking photos taken in various light wavelengths – radio, infrared, optical, ultraviolet, and X-ray data – and assigning a separate range of notes to each wavelength. In the resulting video, a line passes across the lights, playing each assigned note like keys on a piano.
According to NASA, the lower the wavelength energy, the lower the pitches of the notes. The brighter the source, the louder the volume. This tribute aims to honor pioneering astronomer Vera Rubin, who studied Andromeda and made significant contributions to our understanding of dark matter.
The video also provides a unique perspective on the galaxy’s spiralling stars and offers an opportunity for learning about astronomical data gathering and presentation. By studying the Andromeda galaxy, researchers can gain insights into the evolution of our own spiral galaxy, the Milky Way.
Andromeda is located approximately 2.5 million light-years from the Milky Way and features a supermassive black hole at its center. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will release a time-lapse movie of the universe over the next decade, utilizing the world’s largest digital camera.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/listen-to-the-andromeda-galaxys-stars-played-as-musical-notes-in-eerie-nasa-video