Studying the Universe Through Sound

When Wanda Diaz-Merced lost her eyesight in her early 20s due to diabetes her hopes of going into the very visual field of studying stars seemed like a non-starter, until that is she discovered ‘sonification,’ a way of turning large sets of data from the universe into sound. The pioneering astrophysicist from Puerto Rico realised that she could use her ears to detect patterns in stellar radio data, leading to connections being uncovered that had previously been hidden by graphs and visual representation. She converts these patterns into audible sound using pitch, duration and other properties. This inspiring video by Emic Films brings us the beautiful symphony of space music and the woman who lives her dream because of it.

Music of the Spheres by Emic Films on VIMEO

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