R Aquarii Star System Data Sonification | NASA Chandra & Hubble

R Aquarii Star System Data Sonification | NASA Chandra & Hubble

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope collected digital data on a system called R Aquarii, which contains two stars—a white dwarf and a red giant. The system is located over 1,300 light years away. The data was combined and transformed into this sonification, revealing evidence of outbursts and shock waves generated by the pair of stars.

Visual Description: In the sonification of R Aquarii, the piece evolves as the image is scanned clockwise starting at the 12 o’clock position. The volume changes in proportion to the brightness of sources in visible light and the distance from the center dictates the musical pitch. The deep thuds toward the four corners are “diffraction spikes”. Listeners can hear jets from the white dwarf as the cursor travels near the two o’clock and eight o’clock positions.

R Aquarii (R Aqr) is a variable star in the constellation Aquarius. R Aquarii is a symbiotic star believed to contain a white dwarf and a Mira-type variable in a binary system. The orbital period is approximately 44 years. The main Mira-type star is a red giant.

Sonification Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida)

Duration: 38 seconds

Release Date: June 28, 2023

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