NASA utilizes the sound of the solar system to create music

While the vastness and science of space may not immediately seem to connect with the creativity and splendor of the music world, NASA reveals an exciting common link. Utilizing digital data and some incredible science, researchers have been able to “record” the universe and allow users to craft their symphonies with the sounds.

Throughout human existence, the vastness of space has interested and intrigued the human mind, providing a seemingly endless array of discoveries and experiments to help further shape humans’ worldviews. Since 2020, the team at NASA’s Chandra X-ray Center has been utilizing telescopes to record the universe, turning the solar system into a series of notes and sounds. For researchers at NASA, the sounds of the universe are a fascinating study, as the obvious vacuum of space limits the ability for sound to travel, yet it doesn’t mean there is complete silence.

With the data being compiled at the research center, composer Sophie Kastner was enlisted to create a musical piece from the data. Discussing the process and outcome, Kastner says, “It’s like writing a fictional story that is largely based on real facts. We are taking the data from space that has been translated into sound and putting a new and human twist on it.” To help further engage and enlighten those not involved in the process, NASA has created its own Space Jam website to teach and allow users to create their musical creations.

It is often said that music is the universal language of the world, but that may need to be altered to include the entire universe. Read more about the program at the NASA Space Jam website and check out the composition from Sophie Kastner below.