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Video: TRAPPIST-1 Exoplanetary System

Submitted by rasc@johnginder.com on 23 July 2018

On July 7, 2018, Artash, Arushi and Vikas Nath discussed the dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 and its seven planets, all of which could fit into the orbit of Mercury without crashing into one another. By speeding up the orbits, they were able to associate each one with a note and translate these notes into music. They presented their project at the Annual Awards Picnic of the Toronto Centre, which was held at the Carr Astronomical Observatory.

This work was inspired by Matt Russo who recently launched a project called SYSTEM Sounds which converts the rhythm and harmony of astronomy into music and sound. Their first target was the recently discovered TRAPPIST-1 system which hosts 7 Earth-sized planets, some with the potential to support life. The extraordinary pattern of resonances in TRAPPIST-1 leads to a remarkably musical result.