Sounds of the Night

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Aug 11

2015

by project nightflight

With Sounds of the Night we present a new category of astro images: nightscapes accompanied by natural sounds of the night, recorded during the imaging session. The sound of ocean waves, crickets chirping, nocturnal birds and many other nighttime sounds bring the pictures alive.

If you watch the audio pictures, you will most likely notice a much stronger effect than traditional astrophotos cause. This happens because the audio pictures reach two channels of human perception. The visual channel is backed up by sounds, which easily triggers memories from first-hand experiences. Imagination then completes the illusion and the picture becomes the current reality. You suddenly feel like being outdoors under the night sky.

Our compilation of audio pictures can be seen and listened to at http://www.project-nightflight.net/sounds.html

The audio pictures were imaged and recorded during 2013 and 2014 on the Canary island La Palma and along the Grossmugl Star Walk in Austria. We used standard photographic equipment for imaging and a voice recorder with a stereo microphone for capturing the audios. High-end digital processing techniques were implemented to give both the images and the sounds the final brilliance.

We developed the new medium of the audio pictures as a tool to present the beauty of the night sky to the broader public. It is our endeavor to internationally promote the conservation of the starry sky as an environmental resource.