Cosmic Queries – The Sound of Space with Kimberly Arcand

About This Episode

What does space sound like? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Matt Kirshen explore space sonification projects and Chandra Observatory x-ray data with astronomy visualization expert Kimberly Arcand. Hear what the supermassive black hole at the center of The Milky Way sounds like…

What is sonification? Learn about different ways of presenting and visualizing data and how we can make space images more accessible to blind or low vision people. We talk about Chandra Observatory and the x-ray data it produces into images. Discover the Perseus Galaxy Cluster and the lowest note a galaxy can make. We listen to sonifications of the center of The Milky Way, the black hole M87, and Chandra deep field.

How do they pick which images to sonify? What are other ways you can present the universe? Find out about 3D printing the cosmos and scientists like Wanda Díaz-Merced who use sonifications to study stars. What are the most active wavelengths in the universe?

Why is a pulsar best seen with x-ray and radio waves? Are there sonifications of the planets in our solar system? We listen to a sonification of black holes colliding. Does the universe sound like water because of all the waves? We discuss the five senses, the sonification of Stephan’s Quintet, and translating the sounds of the universe into sheet music. Could someday an orchestra play the universe?

Thanks to our Patrons Brittani Vega, Anish Abraham, Charlie Chapter Zhang, John McCormack, Eugene C Nickel Jr, and Marcus Ruzzon for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.

About the prints that flank Neil in this video:
“Black Swan” & “White Swan” limited edition serigraph prints by Coast Salish artist Jane Kwatleematt Marston. For more information about this artist and her work, visit Inuit Gallery of Vancouver.