Chandra Release - August 26, 2024

Visual Description: Cas A, 30 Doradus, NGC 6872 Sonifications

Different telescopes detect different types of light. Much of what they capture is recorded as digital data. Those data can then be translated into visuals, or even sounds. In today's release, the data from three different astronomical observations are presented in collections of visualizations, and sonifications. Just as each composite visualization includes data from different sources, each composite sonification represents multiple data sets from different telescopes. The collections presented here include sonifications of data from different light spectra, and composites with all related sonifications layered into a single video.

The first collection features observations of Cassiopeia A, the remains of an exploded star located about 11,000 light-years from Earth. The composite visualization of the remaining debris field resembles a churning ball of dark blue and red clouds, marbled and veined with purples, greens, reds, electric blues, yellows, whites, and oranges. In each of the related sonification videos, a small circle at the center of each image expands outward. As the growing circle sweeps past different elements, a variety of sounds are triggered. The brighter the light from each element, the louder and higher pitched the sound. In the James Webb Space Telescope visualization of Cassiopeia A, the debris field features marbled clouds of red, yellow, orange, green, and white. In the JWST sonification, musical instruments have been assigned to each color. Low pitched strings represent red, and high strings represent white. Low brass instruments represent yellow and orange, high brass represents blue, and woodwinds represent green. In the Chandra X-ray visualization, the brightness of the electric blue X-ray cloud is mapped to notes on a modified piano. And in the Hubble optical visualization, small cymbals called crotales chime when the expanding circle sweeps over a distant star. All of these instruments are combined in a symphonic sonification of the composite visuals.

The second collection features observations of 30 Doradus, one of the largest and brightest regions of star formation close to the Milky Way. In the composite visualization, a field of stars is partially obscured by a red nebula of cosmic gas and dust, and bright blue X-ray clouds. Near the center of the visualization, a break in the nebula, ringed with wispy white clouds, reveals a brilliant gleaming star, and the central star cluster of 30 Doradus. In the related sonification videos, a vertical line sweeps across the images from left to right, triggering musical sounds as different elements are encountered. The higher in the frame the element is, the higher the pitch of the sound. In the Chandra sonification, the mottled cloud of bright blue X-ray light is mapped to notes on an airy synthesizer. In the James Webb Space Telescope infrared sonification, the red nebula is mapped to soft low musical pitches, and the wispy white cloud is mapped to harsh, high frequency, wind-like sounds. Stars are played on a piano-like synthesizer, with percussion triangles indicating diffraction spikes. A rain-stick represents stars belonging to the central cluster. All of these instruments are combined in the composite sonification.

The third collection features observations of NGC 6872, a large spiral galaxy with elongated arms stretching toward our upper right and lower left. NGC 6872 is backed by a field of stars and distant galaxies, with a neighboring spiral galaxy beside it, to our left. The two galaxies, as well as several bright stars, are engulfed in a neon purple cloud of X-ray gas. In the related sonification videos, a radial arm sweeps clockwise around the images, starting at twelve o'clock, triggering musical sounds as different elements are encountered. The volume of the music is mapped to brightness, and the pitch is related to the distance from the center; the farther away, the higher the pitch. In the Hubble sonification, a low drone represents the core of NGC 6872, while higher, brighter sounds represent the extended spiral arms. Low plucked sounds represent background galaxies, and cymbals represent foreground stars. In the Chandra sonification, wind-like sounds represent the neon purple X-ray cloud, and more compact background objects are presented as chirping birds!