Air and Space Sounds

What to Do

1. Get the container ready.

• Clean out the can or tube.
• If you're using a cardboard container, cut the paper bottom off and close one end of the tube with strips of packing tape. Add enough so it's a thick and sturdy cover, like 8 pieces.

2. Make a hole.

• Use a nail and hammer to make a small hole in the middle of the bottom of the can, or the taped end.

3. Attach the string.

• Put one end of the string through the hole from the outside.
• Tie the end inside the tube or can to the one-inch stick on the inside to keep it in place. You can use tape to make the knot stronger if you need to.

4. Make the roar. 

• Wet the sponge or cloth a little bit.
• Hold the can with one hand and use the other hand to rub the string with the wet sponge or cloth.
• Pull down on the string steadily to make the roaring sound.
• When you rub the wet sponge on the string, it makes a noise that sounds like a engine roaring.
• Try using different lengths of string and sizes of cans to change the sound!
• Listen to this recording of jet planes passing overhead. Can you make your musical instrument sound like that?

We usually see this information as images like this one of a young cluster of stars called Westerlund 2.

This images shows:

• Thick green and blue clouds where stars are forming.
• Purple X-rays that go through the clouds.

But did you know that scientists take that same data and turn it into sounds? This is called data sonification. It's a different way to explore astronomy data!

What to Listen For:

• Sounds move from left to right, like you're reading a book
• Brighter light = louder sound
• Higher pitch = top of image, Lower pitch = bottom of image
• String instruments - plucked strings for single stars and bowed strings for clouds
• Bells and longer tones for more spread-out X-ray light

More Data Sonifications 

Try Sonification Yourself