Kepler 11- A Six-Planet Sonata

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Sonification of the transits of the remarkable Kepler 11 planetary system.

Audio available for download: astro.uvic.ca/~alexhp/new/figures/kepler11sonata.mp3 Kepler 11 has a compact system of six planets, detected by the Kepler observatory through their transits of their host star: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler-11 Here, I've taken each transit seen by the observatory and assigned a pitch and volume to it. The pitch (note) is determined by the planet's distance from its star (closer=higher), and they are drawn from a minor 11 chord. The volume is determined by the size of the planet (larger=louder). The near-4:5 mean-motion resonance (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_resonance) of the innermost two planets is audible as the notes "beat" against each other. A triple-transit (three planets crossing the face of the star at once) in August 2010 is also audible. This event is what is illustrated in the artist's impression of the system used in cover photo.

Creative Commons license - 2012 - Alex Harrison Parker, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

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Alex Parker

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