2026-09-13 · MIRI/IFU · PROGRAM 8887
G19.88-0.53_mm — Protostars
A slow spiral through a star’s cradle, where hydrogen sings in the dark.
A sudden flare of light, a bell that rings and rings.
Warm hydrogen sings in the middle of the night.
Then the glow dims, the notes grow thin and faint,
but still the song holds on, a slow, soft breath.
The light fades to a whisper, then a pause.
No sound, no shape—just space where fire was.
Then a single note returns, a fragile thread,
threading the dark with the same warm voice.
A breath, a hush, a quiet hum.
Warm hydrogen sings in the deep cold.
Then the song returns, not loud, not bright,
but steady—like a star’s slow heart.
This 90-second piece sonifies data from the James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI instrument, observed on September 12, 2025. The sound spirals outward from the brightest region of a protostellar core named EGO G019.88-0.53, which is associated with a dense core (MMB G019.884-00.534). The music reflects the brightness and emission of warm molecular hydrogen detected in the 11.55 to 13.47 micron wavelength range. At each second, the spectrum at that location is translated into sound: emission lines produce tones and bells, absorption lines create soft breaths, and a low drone follows the region’s brightness. The song is generated from the program 'Bridge the gas and ice of complex organic molecules in high-mass protostars'.
Program: Bridge the gas and ice of complex organic molecules in high-mass protostars