A new festive sonification has been released by NASA. The sonification is based on an image from the Hubble Space Telescope.
The sounds start at the outer edges and move towards the center with points of light near the top of the image assigned to higher pitch notes. Bells have brighter lights that make them sound louder.
The development of astronomy was influenced by a type of star called a Cepheid variable. The stars are brighter over a six week period. The period of their pulsation is related to the type of stars that are found.
Calculating how bright a star is by observing how long it takes to pulse is possible. This information can be used to determine how far away it is. Astronomers were able to measure distances to other galaxies for the first time thanks to the properties of these stars.
The sonification is based on an image taken by the Hubble space telescope. Astronomers were interested in looking at the pulsation of the star and the way that light reflected from the dust surrounding it.
Hubble scientists said at the time that they were able to measure the light echoes and pin down a very accurate distance by observing the fluctuation of light. With a margin of error of only one percent, the distance has been narrowed to 6,500 light-years.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
