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NASA Webb's First Full Color Images, Data Are Set to Sound

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August 31, 2022 10:00AM (EDT)Release ID: 2022-040
Illustration representing Webb science set to sound. The background is purple with scattered points of light representing stars and music notes, and has wavy semi-transparent gaseous layers in pinks and purples. At bottom left is a large electric guitar amplifier at a slight angle so it is pointing upward. Both semi-transparent orange gaseous layers and light orange music notes emanate from the front of the speaker and drift across the bottom and right sides. In the middle, superimposed on the starry background is a large hexagon, about three times the size of the amplifier. It is outlined in gold, with two hexagonal outlines behind it. Within the hexagon is an illustration of space with shapes representing objects and materials that Webb is investigating: a large planet with hints of cloud formations; beams of matter jetting out from a disk of material surrounding a black hole; galaxies of different shapes and sizes; nebulous cloudy wisps; and stars with eight-pointed diffraction patterns.

Summary

New Tracks Combine Science and Art, Improving Experiences for Blind and Low-Vision Communities

A team of experts, including scientists and musicians, has created a new way to explore the images and data of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The first two tracks map the prismatic landscapes of the Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula as well as two views of the Southern Ring Nebula. A third track plays the notes of a transmission spectrum, which graphs the atmospheric characteristics of hot gas giant exoplanet WASP-96 b. All allow listeners to pick out key features and experience the data in a new way.

Full Article

There’s a new, immersive way to explore some of the first full-color infrared images and data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – through sound. Listeners can enter the complex soundscape of the Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula, explore the contrasting tones of two images that depict the Southern Ring Nebula, and identify the individual data points in a transmission spectrum of hot gas giant exoplanet WASP-96 b. A team of scientists, musicians, and a member of the blind and visually impaired community worked to adapt Webb’s data, with support from the Webb mission ...

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