2026-09-13 · MIRI/IFU · PROGRAM 7802
Mrk-1066 — Seyfert 2 Galaxy
A journey through a galaxy's breath, where light sings and silence grows.
A radiant core ignites the dark,
its voice a deep, resonant hum.
Hydrogen, neon, and warm gas
ring out, a chorus rising from the womb.
The light recedes, a slow withdrawal,
the hum now thinner, softer, low.
Neon and hydrogen still echo
as the glow diminishes below.
The last notes fade to a breath,
the hum a ghost, the light a trace.
Only neon remains,
its final note a fading grace.
This music is a sonification of a 90-second observation of the Seyfert 2 Galaxy Mrk 1066, taken by the James Webb Space Telescope's MIRI instrument on September 12, 2025. The piece follows a path spiraling outward from the galaxy's brightest region, with the brightness at each point determining the volume of a low drone and the detected emission lines (hydrogen, ionized neon, warm molecular hydrogen) producing tones and bells. The song begins with a rich, bright core and gradually fades into the surrounding darkness as the light diminishes. The observation was part of the program 'Dust in shocks: The missing link in AGN feedback' (ID 07802).
Program: Dust in shocks: The missing link in AGN feedback