A photograph captured by NASA’s Opportunity rover has been transformed into a 2-minute musical composition by U. K. scientists. Using Opportunity’s 5…
A photograph captured by NASA’s Opportunity rover has been transformed into a 2-minute musical composition by U. K. scientists.
Using Opportunity’s 5,000th photo of a Mars sunrise, scientists from Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Exeter assigned pitch and melody to each pixel on the image. The technique is known as data sonification.
Domenico Vicinanza from Anglia Ruskin University’s research group said the process they used is “a really flexible technique to explore science” and can be used to study planet surfaces and atmospheres, as well as weather and detecting volcanic eruptions.
The photo’s dark background produced soft, slow harmonies while the brighter areas resulted in higher-pitched sounds, according to a news release.
The entire piece sounds like how many might describe a sunrise: tranquil, calm and simply beautiful.
Vicinanza, along with Genevieve Williams, of the University of Exeter, are presenting the piece, titled “Mars Soundscapes” at the Supercomputing SC18 Conference in Dallas, Texas.
More: NASA ‘supersonic’ parachute for Mars mission sets world record
NASA’s Opportunity rover has captured photographs of the Red Planet since 2004, but went silent in June when a dust storm cut off its solar power.
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