September 23, 2010

Tripping the sound fantastic

Whenever I tell people about our audio tours of the universe (which we hosted at Camden’s Roundhouse this past Sunday as part of the Turning Point festival, and back in June at the Stoke Newington International Airport) they almost always say:

“But isn’t space silent?”

Not if we know how to listen. With the right equipment we can use our ears as well as our eyes to probe the cosmos. The universe is full of sounds.

Telescopes allow us to capture radio waves emitted by stars across the galaxy and turn them into noises we can hear. And space is not – as popular misconception would have it – an empty “vacuum”. Gas and dust, albeit in small volumes, floats between the stars and can conduct sound waves back to us, such as from the rippling shearing surface of our sun.

Have a listen for yourself here, from the rattling of our atmosphere, to the eerie shrieks and whistles of the moons of Jupiter, to the buzzing chords of nebular clusters – out to the farthest reaches of space and the deepest note in the universe.

Astrobiologist Lewis Dartnell took us on a guided tour this past Sunday through the streets of Camden, explaining what these strange noises have taught us about what lies above our heads.

Check out what he had to say about his first space walk with us in Stoke Newington here.

Space, it turns out, is not so silent after all – we just need to know how to listen.

By Zoe

September 9, 2010

Turning Point @ The Round House

As part of the Turning Point Festival at London’s historic Roundhouse, we will be hosting our Sounds of the Universe tours with astrobiologist Lewis Dartnell.

The author and scientist will also tell us how he searches for life on other planets, what it might look like if (or when?) we find it, and how close we might actually be to discovering that we are not alone in the universe.

Find us Sunday, September 19th, in The Clore.

Sounds of the Universe Walks: 4pm & 5:30pm

Astrobiology Talk: 5pm

August 26, 2010

Green Man: In Photos

Check out our flickr site for all the pics from this weekend at Green Man, including Jelly Brain Dissections with Guy Billings

the Flavour Feast

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August 19, 2010

Green Man Festival, August 20-22

The sublime Brecon Beacons beckon. Catch us August 20 to 22 in Einstein’s Garden.

Sounds of the Universe: Lewis Dartnell & Andrew Pontzen

Walks: Friday 1330 & 1630, Saturday 1100, 1400 & 1715, Sunday 1300 & 1545

Talks: Friday 1630 w/ Andrew & Sat 1330 w/ Lewis, Yurt Stage

Hear the the bassy reverberations of the surface of our Sun, the eerie shrieks of Jupiter, and feverish radio pulses from the cores of dead stars. Plus a talk on astrobiology with Lewis on Saturday.

The Synaesthesia Game: Guerilla Science & Coney

Saturday 1215 and Sunday 1345, Yurt Stage

The Professor has made a brain – but it has synaesthesia: it hears sounds when it sees colours. Come see what it thinks you sound like to look at. Unlike anything you’ve seen – or heard – before.

Flavour Feast: Becki Clarke & Rachel Edwards Stuart

Friday 1530, Saturday 1630, Sunday 1745, Workshop Tent

Celebrate the manifold facets of flavour with our sensory smorgasbord. Sample from our menu of taste tests with expert food scientists and explore the tantalizing mysteries of your senses.

Jelly Brain Dissections: Guy Billings

Friday 1530, Saturday 1630, Sunday 1745, Workshop Tent

Come for a cuppa and a slice of delicious jelly, set in the shape of your marvellous cerebrum. We will dissect, discuss and digest the most complex thing in the known universe: your mind.

Liars Picnic: Lynsey Gozna & Rachel Taylor

Friday 1900 & Sunday 1445, Yurt Stage

How good are you at spotting a lie? Forensic psychologists will teach you to spot the telltale signs. Then put your newfound shifty skills to the test in a lying match. Prizes for the finest fibbers. Cheating is compulsory – no exceptions.