Listening to the Relics of Our Galaxy
John C. Mannone
Astrophysicists from the University of Birmingham have captured the sounds of some of the oldest stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way, according to research published today in the Royal Astronomical Society journal Monthly Notices. —June 7, 2016
When the stars sing
it is not a pathetic
fallacy, but the heart
of the universe.
They sing as soon as born.
Our own Sun whispered
to me in its helio-seismic
percussions—the gong
of a multi-tonal bell.
The combined orchestra
of stars intonating
a symphony—a masterpiece
in M4*—a group of musician
stars singing their hearts
out. And in their death
I can still hear the B-flat thrum
57 octaves down from the grave,
from the black hole blues,
their timpani accompany
the cosmic hiss—
the creator applauding.
*M4 is a beautiful globular cluster in Scorpius
