[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
This is the sound of the aurora on Saturn. Pretty eerie, no?
There is no sound in space. Outside planets and stars, molecules are spread out too thin for sound to propagate. It follows, then, that we can’t really hear sounds planets emit into space. But radio waves—electromagnetic waves with wavelengths longer than infrared light—are, as we know, handy for representing sound. And so it makes sense for us to interpret radio waves, whether originally encoding sound or not, as sound. These are radio waves emitted in conjunction with auroras around Saturn’s poles, similar to the northern and southern lights on Earth. They were picked up by the Cassini spacecraft and then interpreted as sound. But the sound was not in the audible range, so it has been downshifted by a factor of 44. And finally, so as not to bore us to death, it has been speeded up by a factor of 22. Realize, then, that many human choices were made in order for us to be able to “listen to space.” But if you can accept that, you can enjoy this.
Home is behind
The world ahead
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadow
To the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight
Mist and shadow
Cloud and shade
All shall fade
All shall fade
“
| — | -Peregrin Took, All Shall Fade, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King |
We’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got
‘Cause it doesn’t make a difference
If we make it or not
We’ve got each other and that’s a lot
For love - we’ll give it a shot
‘Cause it doesn’t make a difference
If we make it or not
We’ve got each other and that’s a lot
For love - we’ll give it a shot
“
| — | Bon Jovi, Living on a Prayer |
I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now?
“
| — | John Lennon |
If I could write a song, it would be for you. Every crescendo an argument, every rest contentment. Fermatas that tell the story of our love and how we thought it would never end and conductors that decided we were wrong. The chorus would never get the chance to breathe, if only because I’ve never been able to with you. The symphony would fluctuate, in and out, in and out with every breath you took and every beat of your heart. Long drawn, minor keyed legatos would paint pictures of our downfalls while tiny accidentals would prove that we can solve them together. If I could write a song, parts of it would be syncopated. The notes would be skipping, not just running. They would be laughing and smiling and crying and doing everything I wish I could do with you. But mezzo piano knows. It knows how far away you are, how muffled my joy can be. If I could write a song, every black mark, every line every bit of white space and every single joule spent would be for you. I would write it to see you smile, to see you be happy. I only want you to be happy. You deserve it more than anyone I know.
“
