Sonic Planetarium is a realtime spatial audio model of the objects orbiting Earth. Visitors walk within an array of surround-sound speakers to hear satellites pass slowly overhead.

How it works

The computer running the speaker array retrieves satellite orbital data and audio files from an online database, which itself uses the API of space-track.org to retrieve two-line-element (TLE) orbital descriptions and calculate observed paths from the points of view of particular places on Earth. It works similarly to other satellite tracking and visualization efforts, such as Heavens-above.com, n2yo.com, and stuffin.space, but instead of using these calculations to create online maps or visuals of orbiting satellites, Sonic Planetarium describes satellite paths from the position of an observer using sound.

Fiction vs non-fiction

Thanks to the efforts of ham radio operators, many of the audio files used to represent satellites are actual recordings of transmissions from those particular satellites. So while the audio is not up to date in time, and not all satellites transmit continuously, and satellites are not likely to transmit the same information over time, many of the satellites are represented by reasonably ‘real’ sounds.

People

Sonic Planetarium is led by Heidi Neilson, KD2ESI, an interdisciplinary artist interested in the connections between people on the ground and off-planet conditions and infrastructure, see  heidineilson.com. Kim Fisher is a GIS programmer, web developer, and mapping enthusiast, and handles database programming for this project. Tommy Martinez is an artist and technologist specializing in multichannel sound, video, code, and improvisations with guitar and custom software, including Max/MSP for Sonic Planetarium, thomasjohnmartinez.com

Acknowledgments

The Sonic Planetarium system uses data and algorithms from space-track.org, pyephem, and the timezone library.

Many thanks to the following institutions for their support in the research, development, production, and exhibition of Sonic Planetarium: Art Matters Foundation, DC Listening Lounge,  Harvestworks, Hirshhorn Museum, New York Foundation for the Arts, SPACES, and Wave Farm.

Thanks also to the efforts of individuals who have made this project possible: Kim Fisher and Tommy Martinez are instrumental in the project’s many-layered programming; and many ham radio operators and others have aggregated excellent collections of contemporary and historic satellite sounds, in particular the online archives of Matthias Bopp, DD1US,  John Paypay, K8YSE, and the group SatNogs – Satellite Networked Open Ground Station.

This project is made possible with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts in Partnership with Wave Farm: Media Arts Assistance Fund, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts, Electronic Media and Film Program, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and is a fiscally sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts.

Contact

hn (at) heidineilson (dot) com