The Sound of the Universe

The Sound of the Universe

Keywords: Stars | Music

There is a deep connection between music and astronomy. It goes back over 2000 years to Pythagoras^1. He said, There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres.


What makes music… musical?

The secret to musical harmony really is simple ratios: the simpler the ratio^2, the more pleasing or consonant those tow notes will sound together. And the more complex the ratio, the more dissonant they will sound.
Once a rhythm starts happening more than about 20 times per second, it stops hearing it as a rhythm and starts hearing it as a pitch^3.


What does this have to do with astronomy?

Comes from the TRAPPIST-1 system, which was discovered last Feb. of 2017. That system is a resonant^4 chain. A lot of very simple ratios among the orbits of these planets. Sound from TRAPPIST-1 System Website


How this is even possible?

You can find the answer by comparing the analogy of an orchestra: all they have to get in tune, make sure their instruments resonate with their neighbors instruments.
When the planets were first forming, they were orbiting within a disc^5 of gas, and while inside that disc, they can actually slide around and adjust their orbits to their neighbors until they’re perfectly in tune.
This system is so compact, so it’s really music that is keeping this system alive, and any of its potential inhabitants.
K2-138 is a new system discovered in Jan of 2018 with 5 planets.


How mush music actually is out there?


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