The Sounds of Saturn

[dr_mabeuse]

NASA has released recordings it's made of the radio emissions from the planet Saturn as detetcted by the approaching Cassini spacecraft probe. They're eerie, spooky, and sound much like the old science fiction movies thought they'd sound:

They're not sure what causes the phenomenon, but it probably involves charged particles moving through Saturn's magnetic field. The earth is said to produce a similar song.

But anyone with half an imagination can probably come up with a hundred other possible causes.

Check them out here:

http://cassini.physics.uiowa.edu/space-audio/cassini/SKR1/

We live surrounded by miracles, most of which we never even notice.

 

[Guest]

Very cool. That should be incorporated into the classroom somehow.

I wonder if middle school age kids would find that as interesting as adults?

From your thread title I was thinking Holst and my favorite Jupiter, but this is nice, too.

 

[R. Richard]

Really interesting and, as you said, weird and spooky.

But anyone with half an imagination can probably come up with a hundred other possible causes.

The cause is obvious. Saturn has become a Romulan outpost. The only reason we do not see the ships is because they are cloaked. Steps need to be taken here!

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

http://emfinstitute.emf.org/exhibits/images/forbiddenplanet260.jpg

Someone should check on whether Louis and Bebe Barron have been in colaboration with John Cage or David Tudor on any new projects since Bells of Atlantis and Forbidden Planet back in the fiftiies. ​

 

[amicus]

Thanks for sharing that. I am subscribed to a weekly email status report from JPL on the Cassini-Huygens project

You might be interested in an Anne McCaffrey novel, PTB, I think, (Powers that Be) which is a story about a sentient planet.

amicus

 

[rgraham666]

Very cool Doc.

And like VB my first thought was how the music would sound in an SF movie. It's perfect for that.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

Just to remind everybody, you will find an audio clip at the

bottom of this Forbidden Planet site. ​

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Thanks for sharing that. I am subscribed to a weekly email status report from JPL on the Cassini-Huygens project

You might be interested in an Anne McCaffrey novel, PTB, I think, (Powers that Be) which is a story about a sentient planet.

amicus

In The Illustrated Man[/] Bradbury writes about a chilling senitent planet.

Doc, thanks for this post. It meant a lot more to me than just the neato-mosquito soundtrack

 

[Wildcard Ky]

It kind of sounds like the Martian ships in the original War of the Worlds movie.

Cool link, thanks Dr. M

 

[Hooper_X]

Very cool Doc.

And like VB my first thought was how the music would sound in an SF movie. It's perfect for that.

Mix in a little theremin music and there you go.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

Hey, neat!

I had forgotten about the Sound of the Theremin. <<< 1.61 MB. MP3]


Added: For anyone interested, here is a Collection of Theremin demos.

 

[nushu2]

The Daleks Are Coming. The Daleks Are Coming

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

The Daleks Are Coming. The Daleks Are Coming

S h e e s h !

Who — or what — turned on The Daleks?

 

[Boxlicker101]

That was strange, and it did remind me of old science fiction movies. Including War of the Worlds from the mid-fifties.

 

[Boxlicker101]

S h e e s h !

Who — or what — turned on The Daleks?

They're coming after Doctor WHO!!!

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

They're coming after Doctor WHO!!!

So, if we get rid of Dr.Who, maybe The Daleks will become detumescent again.

 

[Huckleman2000]

Very cool!
Reminds me of a C.S. Lewis essay where he talked about heaven in terms of celestial music. I must have read it about 25 years ago, so don't ask me for details, but that's what the sounds evoked in me.

There has been an article online on MSNBC about recording the undersea noises of the earthquake that caused the tsunami after Christmas, but every time I've clicked on the link to the recording, nothing happens.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

. . . recording the undersea noises of the earthquake . . . but every time I've clicked on the link to the recording, nothing happens.

The download time is geological.