Helio Big Year: How Sonifications Connect to Performance Art

  • Released Friday, July 26, 2024
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The Sun can put on spectacular shows in the sky. From Earth, we watch the dance between the Sun and Moon during eclipses, see the mesmerizing motion of the aurora, witness a tapestry of colors during sunrise and sunset, and sometimes even spot the bright flashes of sprites. All of these unique occurrences have inspired performance art — from dance, to music, to theater, and beyond.

In June 2024, the Heliophysics Big Year explores how various kinds of performance artists are moved by the Sun and its influence on Earth.

Mike Hartinger

Did you know that Earth’s magnetic environment — or magnetosphere — is like an orchestra? With performance art as the Heliophysics Big Year theme in June 2024, the lead scientist of the NASA-funded HARP (Heliophysics Audified: Resonances in Plasmas) project Mike Hartinger reflects on the similarities.

Robert Alexander

The NASA-funded Heliophysics Audified: Resonances in Plasmas (HARP) project transforms spacecraft measurements into sound. Composer and HARP team member Robert Alexander shares how this “sonification” process fosters an emotional connection to the sounds of space.

Martin Archer

Martin Archer, a research scientist with the NASA-funded HARP (Heliophysics Audified: Resonances in Plasmas) project, reflects on how his background as a DJ helps him make meaning out of space sounds.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This page was originally published on Friday, July 26, 2024.
This page was last updated on Friday, July 26, 2024 at 4:48 PM EDT.