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Sonified: The Jellyfish Nebula Supernova Remnant

Explanation: What does a supernova remnant sound like? Although sound is a compression wave in matter and does not carry into empty space, interpretive sound can help listeners appreciate and understand a visual image of a supernova remnant in a new way. Recently, the Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443) has been sonified quite creatively. In the featured sound-enhanced video, when an imaginary line passes over a star, the sound of a drop falling into water is played, a sound particularly relevant to the nebula's aquatic namesake. Additionally, when the descending line crosses gas that glows red, a low tone is played, while green sounds a middle tone, and blue produces a tone with a relatively high pitch. Light from the supernova that created the Jellyfish Nebula left approximately 35,000 years ago, when humanity was in the stone age. The nebula will slowly disperse over the next million years, although the explosion also created a dense neutron star which will remain indefinitely.

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And now go outside and look at the clouds to find one shaped as an elephant or a piggy.

Hey, I liked this APOD! It sounded like fish - or maybe whales - splashing in the ocean. Instead, it's a supernova remnant splashing in the cosmic sea!

This APOD is approved by Ann!

Ann

Sure, this is creative I suppose, but for me it does absolutely nothing to "help [this] listeners appreciate and understand a visual image of a supernova remnant".

It's pretty, but as a sound engineer, I would have rather heard it in a more natural way. I have listened to clips that audio folks have created using interpretation of the frequencies to ear-audible. Not as sonically lilting as this, but having some real relation to whatever is being scanned.
I have read that (some) astrophysicists have computed that the Universe resonates in B-flat. Now, whether major, minor, or the various modes, they didn't say. It could not mean every structure in the Universe does; perhaps they are deducing this from cosmic waves alone? I do not know, and sound waves need something to affect besides a vaccuum, but what can create sound waves is out there in droves.

Astronomy for musicians? Astronomy for the blind? What does dark matter sound like? A galaxy is a symphony? Inquiring minds want to know.

I'll essay an answer to my own (smart aleck) question:

Dark matter -- Simon & Gerfunkel, "The Sound of Silence".

Galaxy -- Diana Ross & The Supremes, "Whenever You're Near Me".

I forgot music for the blind -- that would be C. W. McCall, "There Won't Be No Country Music".

Roy wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 6:43 pm Astronomy for musicians? Astronomy for the blind? What does dark matter sound like? A galaxy is a symphony? Inquiring minds want to know.

It seems we already know what a black hole "sounds" like, and it sure is no symphony! In B flat or any other key. More like the atonal lament of doomed stars inside -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioR5np1fmEc
(and over 50 octaves lower than the lowest notes of a piano, that is some deep bass!)