Audio-only version
Galaxy A: does this sonification seem to represent one galaxy more than the other?
Galaxy B: In constrast to Galaxy A, do you notice something different in the sounds (and something different in the galaxies)?
Welcome to sonified galaxies! This installation introduces sonification, where galaxies are represented in sounds, instead of as images. To create the sonification, we use mathematical representations of the galaxies. We'll listen to some music and explore how the sounds are constructed from images of galaxies. Each sound is a unique signature of the image, just as unique as the galaxy themselves. We are using JWST images of distant galaxies in this demonstration.
The whole demonstration takes about 5 minutes, but you can feel free to watch any one, or click here to skip to the end and try the audio-only section!
In this clip, you will see a colour image of a typical distant galaxy. Then, the galaxy will shift to a single colour image, before the image is built up out of sounds corresponding to mathematical functions. Finally, you'll see the galaxy again.
Try thinking about when the patterns start to repeat from lower notes. Does this stand out to you when listening?
Similar to the first sonification, this galaxy has more structure, including hosting what is called a galactic bar.
Try thinking about what higher notes correspond to. Do you notice anything about what happens to the images when the highest notes are played?
In the final demonstration, we have a complicated galaxy. This galaxy is ambiguous when classified by eye, so perhaps our ears can help.
As you listen and see the galaxy built up, do you notice anything in the final image that you didn't see before?
Galaxy A: does this sonification seem to represent one galaxy more than the other?
Galaxy B: In constrast to Galaxy A, do you notice something different in the sounds (and something different in the galaxies)?