Sunset Phosphorescence from Sunconscious by Sounds of Space Project

In the last track of the album we have two striking 'sounds' in tandem. Ther first relates to solar flares, which are intense local eruptions on the Sun. These emit energetic electrons which in turn generate radio waves at a characteristic frequency, known as the electron plasma frequency. The frequency of these emissions decreases rapidly with distance from the Sun. This track contains the repeated signature of a so-called Type III solar radio burst produced by an intense solar flare on 28th October 2003. It was detected by the Cassini Radio and Plasma Wave Science Instrument at a distance of 1.3 billion km from the Sun. In order to bring these emissions into the audio range, the emissions have been shifted downwards in frequency by a factor of 1,000. The recoding has also been compressed so that 4 hours plays back in 15 seconds. Once processed so that we can hear it we have a cascading sound that can be used repetitively in a calming and significant way.

The album ends with the reintroduction of the 'sounds' of the day of the last sunset at Halley VI Research Station in Antarctica. This is an important day in the calendar year at Halley, as the Sun sets, signalling the long, dark days of the winter where it will return to being permanently below the horizon for over 3 months.

Cunio returned to the piano, to play traditionally, and match the incredible sense of space and beauty of this sound in a manner similar to the first sounds of space album, Aurora Musicalis. This is a piece of some delicacy, to prove to all of us that these sounds are capable of being interpreted in a multitude of ways, that they truly are a mirror to us, just as the Sun always will be. After the piano ends we hear the Type III solar radio bursts before finishing with the Halley 'sounds', which fade into infinity.

The abstract artwork by Scarborough is inspired by the delicacy and beauty of sunlit cascades. Created digitally, it uses many layers of painterly washes which are blended and layered to create the impression of webs of imagined rainbow phosphorescence. The artwork promotes calm and contemplation as one seeks new patterns in the music and the image.

Tracklist

10.	Sunset Phosphorescence	8:06

Credits

from Sunconscious, released December 1, 2022
Kim Cunio piano
Diana Scarborough track artwork
Nigel Meredith science and 'sound' curation
‘Sounds’ of the Type III radio burst courtesy of NASA and The University of Iowa (space-audio.org)
VLF ‘sounds’ courtesy of BAS

License

CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. See the Creative Commons website for details.