Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Sounds by Smithsonian Remix published on 2013-09-17T16:11:31Z In the spring of 2011, Wanda L. Diaz Merced spent time at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, doing research for her doctoral dissertation at Glasgow University, Scotland. Wanda, who is blind, has been interested in sonification as a data analysis tool: how sonification might help scientists, even those who can see, detect patterns in large amounts of seemingly random astrophysical data. She used sonified x-ray data from EX Hydrae that have been collected by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. One day Gerhard Sonnert gave Wanda some advice on her research and, on the way out of her office, he noticed a ream of sheets on which sonified x-ray data were printed out in musical notation. Being a bass player, he immediately recognized that the data showed a particular Afro-Cuban rhythm called clave. It occurred to him that, in addition to being a scientific tool, sonification might have an artistic application. Gerhard asked his cousin Volkmar Studtrucker, a musician and composer, to write songs from the EX Hydrae material. Volkmar created nine musical pieces, in a variety of musical styles, which they played and recorded in a trio (Volkmar Studtrucker, piano; Gerhard Sonnert, bass; and Hans-Peter Albrecht, drums). Contains tracks Volkma Studtrucker Star Song sonified x-ray #9 by Smithsonian Astrophysical published on 2013-09-17T14:54:30Z sonified x-ray #9 by Smithsonian Astrophysical published on 2013-09-17T14:53:14Z sonified x-ray #8 by Smithsonian Astrophysical published on 2013-09-17T14:51:12Z Volkmar Studtrucker Star Song sonified x-ray #7 by Smithsonian Astrophysical published on 2013-09-17T14:50:00Z sonified x-ray #7 by Smithsonian Astrophysical published on 2013-09-17T14:48:39Z
Volkma Studtrucker Star Song sonified x-ray #9 by Smithsonian Astrophysical published on 2013-09-17T14:54:30Z
Volkmar Studtrucker Star Song sonified x-ray #7 by Smithsonian Astrophysical published on 2013-09-17T14:50:00Z
