NASA, composer Sophie Kastner join forces to turn space data into music

Composer Sophie Kastner's NASA-inspired soundscape, based on data sonifications from Chandra X-ray, Hubble, and Spitzer space telescopes, is brought to life by a musical ensemble. (Image credit: Screen grab from video: NASA/CXC/A. Jubett & Priam David)

In a groundbreaking collaboration, NASA's Chandra X-ray Center and composer Sophie Kastner are working together to advance the space agency's "sonification" project. This innovative musical initiative transforms sounds captured by space telescopes into music.

They have crafted versions that can be played by musicians, infusing a unique and human element into the raw space data.

From algorithms to artistry

In the sonification process, computers use algorithms to mathematically convert digital data into sounds perceivable by humans. However, human musicians bring their own touch to the composition.

Describing the process, Kastner likens it to "writing a fictional story largely based on real facts". “We are taking the data from space that has been translated into sound and putting a new and human twist on it.”

The result: "Where Parallel Lines Converge"

Right now, they're focusing on a tiny spot in the middle of our Milky Way, where a giant black hole lives. Telescopes like Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope have been watching this area for years. Now, Sophie and the team have turned this space data into a musical composition called "Where Parallel Lines Converge". The piece was recorded by the Montreal-based Ensemble Éclat, conducted by Charles-Eric LaFontaine, on July 19, 2023, at McGill University.

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Kastner's take on the cosmic data

Kastner chose to pay attention to the small, awesome things in the big picture. “I like to think of it as creating short vignettes of the data, and approaching it almost as if I was writing a film score for the image,” said Kastner. “I wanted to draw listener’s attention to smaller events in the greater data set.”

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Looking to the future: More cosmic collaborations

Looking to the future, Kastner envisions expanding the pilot composition project to collaborate with additional musicians interested in incorporating space data into their compositions.

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Connecting with the cosmos

Kimberly Arcand, Chandra visualization and emerging technology scientist, having worked with data in X-ray, visible, and infrared light for years, emphasized that this collaboration is another way for humans to connect with the night sky. “In some ways, this is just another way for humans to interact with the night sky just as they have throughout recorded history,” says Arcand. “We are using different tools but the concept of being inspired by the heavens to make art remains the same.”