Tuning in to the Music of the Cosmos

Synopsis:

From the ancient music of the spheres to contemporary astro-sonification, the relationship between music and astronomy has inspired remarkable scientific insights and creative explorations. This illustrated talk traces historical and contemporary musical representations of astronomical phenomena, from Pythagoras's parallels between musical tuning and celestial order, Plato's cosmic harmonies in the Timaeus, to Kepler's translation of planetary orbital eccentricities into musical scales. Using new tools, this talk revisits these historical ideas, and explores the contemporary field of astro-sonification, in which sound is used to represent, investigate and communicate astronomical data, revealing patterns that might otherwise remain unheard or unseen. Examples range from pulsar rhythms, the melodic contours of extraterrestrial landscapes, the rhythms and harmonies of exoplanetary systems, and original music drawn directly from the astronomical observations of John Flamsteed.

Bio:

Milton Mermikides is a composer, guitarist, technologist and academic whose work bridges music, science and technology. The son of a…