NASA’s sonification of black holes turns space data into sounds to show different parts of black holes and their surroundings. This uses info from telescopes like NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), and others to make three cosmic soundscapes.
First, there’s WR124, a huge, short-lived star about 28,000 light-years away that might turn into a black hole after a supernova blast. X-rays spotted by Chandra are turned into harp sounds. As the scan moves out from the star’s center, these X-rays create clear harp notes. Infrared light from the Webb telescope, showing the star’s outer layers being thrown off, becomes metallic, bell-like sounds. The light from the star’s hot core, which could become a black hole, is turned into a falling, scream-like sound at the start.
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Next is Centaurus A, a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its center, shooting out a huge jet across the galaxy. X-rays from the jet and nearby hot gas are made into single-note wind chime sounds, played as the scan moves clockwise from the top of the image. Polarized X-ray light is converted into a variety of frequencies, producing a wind-like sound that emphasizes the jet’s structure. Stars in the galaxy, seen through the European Southern Observatory’s MPG telescope, are turned into string instrument sounds, with nearby and distant objects represented as plucked strings.
Finally, SS 433 is a binary system where a star orbits either a neutron star or a black hole, known for its super-fast jets. X-rays from the jets and nearby gas are probably turned into specific sounds, though the exact instruments aren’t mentioned. Based on similar projects, these might be drum-like or wind-like tones to show the lively jets. Infrared or other data might add to the soundscape, possibly as background tones or rhythms, but the exact details aren’t given.
