While browsing through photos, NASA’s photo gallery immediately drew me in. Since I was a child, I was always fascinated by space and astronomy. The idea that time and space is infinitely larger than humankind can fathom enthralled me, and I constantly read about galaxies, planets, and stars. Today, advanced imagery technology can capture vivid images of the vast world beyond Earth…in breathtaking detail. We no longer have to imagine what deep space looks like, because we can now see them. I was very excited that NASA made these images available for download and use. In “NGC 3324,” I love how the golden clouds seem to invite the viewer to glance closer at the stars behind them. The purple specks, which represent young stars, make the image sparkle and come to life.
I chose the song “Relief” to accompany the image because it enhances the magical and mysterious quality of it. The reverberating bells in the introduction (0:00-0:45) capture the vastness of deep space while the low strings that enter later (0:46-1:23) add some dissonance, representing the (still) unanswered questions we may have about the world beyond. The bells enter and exit throughout the rest of the song, and when I look at the image while listening, I feel immersed in the wonder of infinite worlds.
Terms of Use: “Infinite Worlds” by Jocelyn Hsu is licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0 (Attribution–NonCommercial 3.0 Unported). It is attributed to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and gurdonark.
Hello Jocelyn!
I will tell you right now that I am a big space nerd- well I’m actually just a nerd in general. This image makes me think of two things right away: 1. Little me dragging my poor tired momma out to the driveway so I could view the super moons and red moons through my telescope. Or to view Mars when its path was closest to Earth. 2. is my comic book nerd side coming out. This picture makes me think of the multiple universes theories that scientists have and how it is applied to comics and games such as Spiderman, Undertale, etc.
The music makes me feel like I’m listening to a time lapse happening. You know those parts of movies where there is something big happening in the background, but the main character is trying to zone out or ignore it by looking mournfully out a window. Or when there is a battle happening and the main character’s loved one or friend gets struck down and time stands still as they go into shock, and they start to mourn as if nothing else is happening around them. The beginning is my favorite part with the reverberating bells. It really sounds like someone is deep in thought our in a deep pause of some sort in their thinking.
Together the image and the music take me on a journey! Together they make me think of a little kid imagining they are an astronaut floating in space. Then that child grows up into an adult, trains hard, and actually, finally, gets to become a real astronaut; and as they float out in space for the first time, they feel like that little kid again.
I think another audio that would go well with this picture and change the story they tell is Blinding Light by Ninja Tracks. The music sounds like someone going on an epic journey! And when paired with this image, it makes me think of some one driving through the space time continuum at hyper speed; getting to view new worlds as they go whizzing by. Unfortunately it is copyrighted.
Hi Jocelyn! I love the photo you chose! Separately the image and sound are both fun choices. The image is bright, colorful, and you really could’ve gone a million different ways with the sound choice. This combination, however, creates an air of mystery and wonder. Had you gone with a peppier sound, it might’ve had a more Whovian or Star Trek kind of vibe. The sound you chose, with its resonant tones, really highlights the vastness of space within this image. Overall a really cool effect! The image resolution is great an the audio plays without issue.
Hi Jocelyn!
I love this image so much. I am particularly drawn in by the purple of those stars you mentioned. The more I look at it, the more vivid it seems. I find the music you chose to be very calming, which is a great choice. I feel like the obvious path to go with an image like this would be big, awe-inspiring music, but the feeling this is evoking for me is sort of melancholy and cozy. It makes the image seem more friendly than alien. Great work!