Messier 51 (M51) is perhaps better known by its nickname of the Whirlpool Galaxy because its face-on orientation to Earth reveals its wound-up spiral arms. This gives telescopes here a view of another spiral galaxy similar to our Milky Way, whose structure we cannot observe directly from our position within it. The sonification tracks along a line emanating from the galaxy's core to the edge of the image and scanning clockwise. The light encountered by this line has been mapped to the notes of a melodic minor scale. The sequence represents X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.

The bright core, which harbors a supermassive black hole, produces a constant low hum punctuated by short sounds from compact bright sources within the galaxy, including many stellar-sized black holes. 

Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Wesleyan Univ./R.Kilgard et al; Sonification: NASA/CXC/SAO/Kimberly Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (Matt Russo, Andrew Santaguida)

M51 X-ray Sonification

Rushes Recede, from Antiphonals. Out 10th September on limited edition vinyl & CD Pre-order now → https://latemusic.ffm.to/antiphonals

Rushes Recede

Voyager 1's plasma wave instrument detected the vibrations of dense interstellar plasma, or ionized gas, from October to November 2012 and April to May 2013. This sound reproduces the amplitude and frequency of the plasma waves as "heard" by Voyager 1.

Voyager: Interstellar Plasma Sounds

Delayed 680

Recently recorded during post-installation testing using only samples from the Hideaway AKAI S612 Sample Library currently bundled with the popular XD-280 Disk Emulator I developed a few years back. The XD-280 consists of a modified Gotek disk emulator and a custom drive interface which bolts directly onto the rear of the S612 replacing the bulky and sadly very unreliable original MD-280 Quick-Disk Rackmount with a modern USB flash drive based solution.

These 12-bit samplers might only have a tiny 1 second sample memory but they sound lovely and, in a weird way, I often find their extreme limitations quite inspiring!

Sound Design, Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2025.

1986 AKAI S612: Heavenly-01 [Hideaway's Sample Library For XD-280]

This is a sound that was electronically placed onboard the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft. 

Golden Record: The First Tools

These melodious tones are created at a special frequency in a plasma with a magnetic field. The frequency is set by the number of electrons in a given volume (the electron density) and the strength of the magnetic field. Hence, the frequency of these waves, called upper hybrid waves, can provide a very accurate measure of the density of the plasma; a fundamental property of the Jovian environment of interest to scientists. These emissions were acquired by Voyager 2 as it passed through the outer magnetosphere in 1979.

Voyager Plasma Sounds

The Stanford Experimental Physics Lab sonified data from the European Space Agency and NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). This humming sound captures the Sun’s natural vibrations and provides scientists with a concrete representation of its dynamic movements.

For more solar sounds, visit: http://soi.stanford.edu/results/sounds.html

Sun Sonification

Exclusive track premiere for igloomag.com
Proem "Pine the Bear" from the new album 'Until Here For Years'
w/ approval from n5MD

More info:
igloomag.com/reviews/proem-until-here-for-years-n5md
igloomag.com/newswire/proem-until-here-for-years-n5md-press

Until Here for Years (n5MD) MP3

Proem "Pine the Bear"

From the forthcoming live album 'Figures In Open Air' out 6th November on Late Music.

Pre-order the double CD edition now → https://latemusic.ffm.to/figuresinopenair

Sarah Davachi - Diaphonia Basilica (Version)

Hello, we’re NASA. You may have seen our astronauts, rocket launches, or Mars rovers — but have you heard our sounds? From interviews with astronauts and engineers to stories that take you on a tour of the galaxy, NASA’s audio offerings let you experience the thrill of space exploration without ever leaving Earth.

Voyager Plasma Sounds

NASA

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