NASA has developed and shared “Space Jam,” a new tool that gives users the power to produce music with the “sounds” of outer space.
Technically, there is no sound in space because the atoms and molecules necessary to carry sound waves don’t exist beyond our atmosphere. However, scientists at NASA’s Chandra X-ray Center have been working on the unique “sonification” project since 2020, which takes digital data recorded by telescopes and translates it into notes and sounds of varying frequency and pitch.
“This process allows the listener to experience the data through the sense of hearing instead of seeing it as images,” reads a NASA press release.
According to Chandra scientist Kimberly Arcand, the team has been converting data derived from X-ray, visible and infrared light emitted by celestial bodies for years, but has now packaged it in a format that is “playable for people,” with help from composer Sophie Katsner.
“It’s like writing a fictional story that is largely based on real facts,” Katsner said in a press release. “We are taking the data from space that has been translated into sound and putting a new and human twist on it.”
Kastner even composed an ensemble piece titled “Where Parallel Lines Converge,” which utilizes “data sonifications” from NASA’s Chandra, Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. This data was recorded from a small region of space, which spans 400 light-years and is home to a supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
Now, NASA’s digital Space Jam tool gives the general public a chance to get in on the action, using beginner coding methods to create their own “musical solar system, complete with banging drums and spacey melodies.”
The tool, primarily designed for classroom educators, is built for all ages and learning levels. NASA estimates it takes 45-75 minutes to complete a full song.
Watch Montreal’s Ensemble Éclat perform Sophie Katsner’s “Where Parallel Lines Converge” below and try out NASA’s Space Jam for yourself here.
Featured image from NASA via Unsplash.com.
