November 2018

Video: What Does The Universe Sound Like?
A musical tour.
Presentation By Matt Russo At TEDx UofT

  Is outer space really the silent and lifeless place it's often depicted to be? Perhaps not. Astrophysicist and musician Matt Russo takes us on a journey through the cosmos, revealing the hidden rhythms and harmonies of planetary orbits. The universe is full of music, he says -- we just need to learn how to hear it.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxUofT, an independent event. TED's editors, and Enjoy the Music.com, chose to feature it for you. This talk was recorded at a TEDx event organized by volunteers; speakers are selected independently of TED.

Video From TED: What Does The Universe Sound Like?

Explore
The TRAPPIST-1 System: Listening to Planetary Orbits
Dan Tepfer
A deeper dive into how the dance of the TRAPPIST-1 planets can be heard as musical rhythms and harmonies. Listen to the audio examples and learn how listening to planetary orbits is a little like cauliflower gratin.

The Jazz of Physics
Stephon Alexander
An accessible introduction to the many parallels between music and physics, from quantum waves to the sound of the big bang. Although often focused on analogies, the chapter on Pythagoras and Kepler's Music of the Spheres beautifully exposes the real musicality in our universe that goes far beyond metaphor.

Book
The Sonification Handbook
Thomas Hermann, Andy Hunt, John G. Neuhoff (eds) A more formal guide for people interested in converting data into sound and includes a fascinating chapter on how the human auditory system converts vibrations in air into the perception of sound.