Performers:
University of Minnesota Wind Ensemble
Conductor: Emily Threinen

The music for we ever see of stars was inspired by two photographs. The first is the so-called “Pale Blue Dot” photograph taken by the Voyager space probe in February of 1990. It shows the Earth from a distance of 3.7 billion miles, just beyond the orbit of Neptune. In the photo the Earth takes up less than a pixel. The second image is of a much more recent origin, and was taken by the James Webb Space telescope. NASA released the first “Deep Field” image in July of 2022. The photograph is littered with hundreds of points of light that turn out to all be galaxies, and many of them so distant that their light has only just now been able to reach us. Apropos of this, the title we ever see of stars is borrowed from Alan Moore’s Watchmen, “All we ever see of stars are their old photographs.”

These two photographs inspired music that reflects not so much the images themselves, but the rollercoaster of emotions that come from such an awareness of the cosmos – how vast it truly is, and how insignificant one can feel as a result. And yet, how beautiful can be this existence. we ever see of stars, if it can be said to be programmatic in any way, is about the internal battle between the sheer mind-numbing anxiety of existence, and the awe, wonder, and beauty of being. While Hamlet asks, “what is this quintessence of dust?” Carl Sagan tells us, “we are a way for the universe to know itself.” While life can appear meaningless and insignificant in the face of such a vast and oppressive universe, we can at the same time be confounded by the apparent miracle that we exist at all. The universe is unimaginably large to the point of absurdity, and yet we have no choice but to find ourselves the center of it…thank you, Douglas Adams. 

The composition of we ever see of stars also involved a reflection on the history of our art, and so the piece is also an exploration of the history of music making. The piece begins with the earliest of musical sounds, that of a cacophony of percussion instruments, plucked strings, and human voices. Then a solo voice (the horn) gives way to a layering of voices in free polyphony, followed by gentle homophony, a fugue, a minimalistic layering exercise, a rapid scherzo, and a grand finale where all motives and themes collide in counterpoint with one another. Throughout are oblique and not so oblique references to composers and musical styles that I love – a celebration of music making. 

The music begins with the plaintive solo clarinet, crying out a tentative yet hopeful longing – the clarinet an instrument of wood and breath, of organic material, a living thing. This is immediately interrupted by a C-Db polychord in the low brass, accompanied by harp and percussion. The second principal motive of the piece first sounds out in the chimes – metallic, inanimate, brash, and also somehow “beyond.” It is presented slow and almost unknowable – call it God, call it the universe, call it what you will. After building to a violent restatement of that opening polychord the piece collapses, and the solo horn launches the piece proper as themes begin to solidify and grab onto one another like atoms in the early universe. Throughout the remainder of the piece’s six large sections the two themes compete with one another as if vying for supremacy in the human experience. In the end they realize they can only exist together, side-by-side. The truth is we have no choice but to live in the space where the reality of experience is dissonance. Nothing matters, and everything matters.

we ever see of stars (2023)

It’s been a year since the James Webb Space Telescope reached its permanent orbit a million miles from the earth.  Space Telescope Science Institute scientist Kelly Lepo reviews Webb’s first year of discoveries.

James Webb Telescope Marks One Year In Operation

Vi hører ofte om nye forskningsresultater fra rummet og der bliver ofte vist flotte billeder af fjerne galaxer og stjernetåger. Forskerne har flere instrumenter og vores opfattelse af rummet og os selv bliver påvirket af ny viden.

Men ud over forskningen og facinationen, så er der faktisk også en masse virksomheder som producerer instrumenter og nye materialer til rumforskning.  En af de virksomheder er Space Composite Structures Denmark, der med sine med 8 medarbejdere, har leveret JWST kamerates centrale ophængning og dele af teleskopets struktur, som er vævet af kulfibertråde.  

Videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett taler med Damir Ljubicic fra Space Composite Structures Denmark.

Podcasten er en del af vores projekt "Historier om Dansk Rumforskning" støttet af Otto Mønsteds Fond og Thomas B. Thriges Fond.

Foto kredit: Jens Degett, © Science Stories ApS

Danske virksomheder er godt med i rumkapløbet

NASA is marking the 1st anniversary of images sent by the James Webb Space Telescope with something new and spectacular.  NASA astrophysicist Taylor Hutchison and Princeton University professor, author and astrophotographer Bob Vanderbei chat with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination Interview: NASA marks 1st anniversary of James Webb Space Telescope with new image

"After 30-Year Search, Scientists Finally Find an Aurora on Neptune" 
by Kimberly M.S. Cartier
Published on Eos.org on 10 April 2025

Audio recording by Emily Dieckman

After 30-Year Search, Scientists Finally Find an Aurora on Neptune

Välkommen till Nyheterna, ett segmentet som är en del av månadens ordinarie avsnittet av podcasten Månadens Maclunkey. 

Veckans Segment Innehåller:
00:00:00 - NYHETERNA!
00:00:24 - Programerade T-celler I Kampen Mot Cancer
00:13:42 - Vi Är INTE Ensamma I Universum!
00:31:13 - Real Life Health Bar! (CircTrek)

Länkar till nyheterna:
1. https://shorturl.at/r7v8o
2. https://shorturl.at/sDma5
3. https://shorturl.at/OpXcc

Podcasten Månadens Maclunkey finns där du hittar dina andra poddar samt på JP's Variety inne på Youtube. 

Mycket nöje!

Avsnittet finns även där du hittar dina andra poddar:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/uomBv0vIkhQ
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/54-1-nyheterna-liv-i-rymden-m%C3%A5nadens-segment/id1501028692?i=1000712487327 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3YHd14b8Tl92XwKM1CuT9D?si=35a256fac2a940b6

Ordinarie podd:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/NkaEtTxRVdo
Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/764jDJcMNRZkVB9ioi
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3TqgNVLs6bCfJ4b0iTBSdK?si=8a3b336d10ca4b9b
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/54-how-to-train-your-dragon-trilogin-mission-impossible/id1501028692?i=1000711923888
Rss-feed: https://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:773583307/sounds.rss

Månadens Maclunkey är din podcast om Nörd- och Populärkultur. Vi pratar MARVEL, DC, Star Trek, STAR WARS,  Sci-fi, Fantasy, Superhjältar, komedier, TV, Streaming, Musik, Tech! Nyheter och Mycket Mycket Mer!

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Lyssna även på Hallpodden inne på: https://www.patreon.com/JPsVariety

54.1. Nyheterna: Liv I Rymden! - Månadens Segment

Techstination is a daily report on consumer tech produced by Fred Fishkin.  Listen to full interviews and daily reports here and find more at www.techstination.com

Listener-sponsored, volunteer-powered, noncommercial community radio broadcasting to south-central Wisconsin at 89.9 FM and online at wortfm.org via our studios in Madison. 

We provide an outlet for communication, education, free expression, entertainment, training and access for the purpose of sharing music, information, news, and cultural experiences, and strive to give people underrepresented elsewhere in traditional media a voice. 

NOTE: Most of the content posted at this time are news stories or talk shows. 

MUSICIANS:  We NEVER look on our SoundCloud for music submissions, so it's not a very efficient way to contact us. Please go to www.wortfm.org and click on Music --> Music Submissions for our submission info and guidelines. Thanks and we look forward to hearing your music!

Science Stories fortæller historier om videnskab baseret på nysgerrighed og fascination af viden og indsigt, men vi kan også være kritiske og stille spørgsmål ved veletablerede dogmer. Vi stræber efter at forstå grundlaget for viden og sætte den i perspektiv. Redaktionen er uafhængig og ikke underlagt udefrakommende politiske eller kommercielle interesser.

Composer in Minneapolis
Classical, Theatre, Film, Jazz, Rock, Pop, Folk

Eos is a leading source for trustworthy news and perspectives about the Earth and space sciences and their impact. Published by the American Geophysical Union.

New tracks tagged #James Webb Space Telescope