声化: 名为水母星云的超新星遗迹

2024年3月25日

Sonified: The Jellyfish Nebula Supernova Remnant
Image Credit: X-ray (blue): Chandra (NASA) & ROSAT (ESA); Optical (red): DSS (NSF); Radio (green): VLA (NRAO, NSF); Sonification: NASA, CXC, SAO, K. Arcand; SYSTEM Sounds: M. Russo, A. Santaguida)

Explanation: What does a supernova remnant sound like? Although sound is a compression wave in matter and does not carry into empty space, interpretive sound can help listeners appreciate and understand a visual image of a supernova remnant in a new way. Recently, the Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443) has been sonified quite creatively. In the featured sound-enhanced video, when an imaginary line passes over a star, the sound of a drop falling into water is played, a sound particularly relevant to the nebula’s aquatic namesake. Additionally, when the descending line crosses gas that glows red, a low tone is played, while green sounds a middle tone, and blue produces a tone with a relatively high pitch. Light from the supernova that created the Jellyfish Nebula left approximately 35,000 years ago, when humanity was in the stone age. The nebula will slowly disperse over the next million years, although the explosion also created a dense neutron star which will remain indefinitely.

Tomorrow’s picture: comet tails

声化: 名为水母星云的超新星遗迹
影像提供: X-ray (blue): Chandra (NASA) & ROSAT (ESA); Optical (red): DSS (NSF); Radio (green): VLA (NRAO, NSF); Sonification: NASA, CXC, SAO, K. Arcand; SYSTEM Sounds: M. Russo, A. Santaguida)

说明: 超新星遗迹会发出什么样的声音？尽管声音是物质内的压缩波，无法传播通过真空，但是附加的诠释性声音，却可让听众以新的方式欣赏和理解超新星遗迹的影像。最近，水母星云（IC 443）就经过相当有创意的声化。在这部声音经过强化的主题影片里，当假想的线遇到一颗恒星时，会播放水滴入水的声音，而这种声音和这团以同名水中生物为名的星云格外搭调。此外，当下坠的线通过泛红的气体时，会播放低音，泛绿的气体搭配中音，而泛蓝的气体会产生较高的音调。在35,000多年前，当创造水母星云的超新星的光启程时，那时候的人类还处于石器时代。这团星云在未来的一百万年内会缓缓消散，但是在此次爆炸中同时产生的致密中子星，则会永久留存。