Creating celestial sounds from translating astronomical data gathered by telescopes. Revealing astronomical features not visible to the human eye by photographing with an infrared lens.

These may sound like something out of “Star Trek,” but they are topics of two talks at the next meeting of the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit (SBAU).

Both speakers are of an age to have been inspired by the original NBC series. In fact, David Grossman oversaw the music used in the later “Star Trek” series from “The Next Generation” to “Enterprise” during his tenure as the head of television music at Paramount/CBS.

At this talk, he’ll reveal how astronomy is no longer primarily a visual science, as both musicians and scientists now use “sonification” to hear the sounds of space. Rather than creating visual images, they filter astronomical data into sound.

Matt Hall will present another novel way to visualize the heavens, but related to
astrophotography. He will discuss how he built an astro camera using a 12-pound “spy lens” designed for taking aerial infrared surveillance photographs during World War II and the Korean War. He calls it the “Beast.”

Grossman and Hall speak at this week’s SBAU First Friday gathering held in the Fleischmann Auditorium at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. A brief members’ meeting will begin at 7 p.m., followed by the talks at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.

What Does Space Sound Like?

A graduate of the Berklee and Eastman schools of music, Grossman worked as a professional drummer for six years before beginning his tenure at Paramount/Columbia. He became Vice President of the Recording Academy (it presents the Grammys), and then served as executive director of the Santa Barbara Symphony from 2011 to 2014.

Astronomy has always been his hobby, and Grossman recently penned three articles for “Astronomy Magazine” including a cover story focused on sonification, “Listen to the Universe,” which ran in February 2025.

He pointed out that the roots of sonification began with the 1908 invention of the Geiger counter, with its clicks denoting ionizing radiation. In that same way, astronomical data, usually used to create photographs, can be converted into sound.

“The sounds can change in pitch, loudness, or timbre to correlate to the density of a nebula, for example, or the color of a gas, the brightness of a star,” he said. “They reveal characteristics that aren’t discernible to human eyes and ears.”

Sonification can identify patterns, trends, and anomalies that might not be caught by visual analysis alone. The European Space Agency has a division that trains listeners to recognize aberrations, even adding “red herrings” to test their skills.

Sound offers a powerful perspective, but not just for astronomy. Sonification is also used to aid geologists, volcanologists, oceanographers, and other researchers.

“But you can definitely sit back and enjoy them while meditating,” he added.

Building an Astro Camera

Hall’s talk also relates to celestial phenomena that are not discernible to human senses.

“He addresses sound, and I talk about the infrared spectrum,” said Hall, a past SBAU president and member since 1980.

Interested in astronomy from an early age, Hall took his first astronomical photograph, a solar eclipse, in 1979.

The Seattle native attended Santa Barbara’s Brooks Institute of Photography, studying with Vernon Miller in the Industrial/Scientific program.

In 1986, his senior year, Hall organized a trip to New Zealand to view Halley’s Comet with Miller and other Brooks students. That was his first foray into deep sky astrophotography.

Around that time, Miller told him about the Kodak Aero Ektar “spy lens,” which can photograph the infrared spectrum. Miller suggested it could be useful in astrophotography. Infrared can penetrate dust clouds and reveal stars and constellations that are more prominent in that spectrum.

“I purchased one in Pasadena for $200 in 1985, and they are worth between $1,500 and $2,000 now, if you can find one,” said Hall. “It came in a camera, which I discarded because I wanted to build my own.”

In his talk, he’ll discuss the current design challenges and those in the early days. Most critical then was how to focus the huge lens for large-format photographs. “It’s either in focus or not; there’s no in-between,” he said.

He set the project aside in the 1990s, storing it in his garage, where he rediscovered it in 2021, not long after Miller passed away. “I got the bug again,” said Hall.

The lens itself was brown because it contains the radioactive element thorium, which had degraded over time. He treated it with ultraviolet light, which cleared it. It will need to be retreated in the future.

Hall fashioned the camera bit by bit, completely customizing as he progressed. The new camera rig, weighing more than 30 pounds, is connected to a spotting scope and is set on a heavy-duty tripod with an equatorial mount and clock drive, both necessary for long exposures.

“The Beast is unwieldy and about as low-tech as it gets to operate,” he said. “I have to use a magnifying glass to focus it, and there is no shutter. I use a piece of black cardboard to cover and uncover the opening,” he reported.

He had mixed results on his first test run on Figueroa Mountain, shooting on standard film.
“I may need to use infrared filters or do color separations, maybe,” said Hall. “But I want to shoot in infrared as it was designed.”

He regrets that Miller did not live long enough to see it finished.

“Vern used to say it’s not the results but the journey that matters,” said Hall. “I’ll find a way, and he’ll be up there with me when I’m shooting on Figueroa Mountain.”