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Listen to a Black Hole

Edward Morgan of MIT has taken the X-ray data from the black hole GRS 1915+105, and translated it into audio signals, allowing us to actually listen to this object throw off its accretion disk.

A Listening Key

  • low frequency static-like noise corresponds to background X-ray emission

  • the "skips" in sound, or lub-dubbing pulsations are the X-ray/infrared jets (not the superluminal ones) escaping from the black hole

  • the high pitched whistling noises are the quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) of the escaping X-rays.

    Below are links to two kinds of audio files - a Sun audio (.au) file and a wave (.wav) file. If you have trouble downloading them (ie, Netscape browser crashing), try some of the solutions offered here. Download the software

  • 20186-03-03-01.au

  • 20186-03-03-01.wav

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    This file was last modified on Thursday, 22-Apr-2004 14:52:55 EDT