Hi ,
Every November, something cosmically cool happens: The Leonid meteor shower. And it’s happening next week!
The Leonids happen when the Earth passes through a stream of debris left behind by a comet called Tempel-Tuttle, which circles the sun about every 33 years. As this debris enters the atmosphere it produces brief, bright streaks of light slashing through the night sky. The particles are actually no bigger than grains of sand, but they can come flashing through the atmosphere at 44 miles per second, which is among the fastest meteors we see.
On average, you can expect to see around 15 Leonids per hour if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere in a dark location.
Back in 1833, however, there was a Leonid meteor storm which produced about 70,000 to 100,000 per hour which must have been quite the light show. So many were sizzling through the atmosphere that people actually panicked, thinking that the stars were falling from the heavens and the world was ending! Such storms happen rarely, but even so, I’ll be among the nighttime Leonid spectators hoping to spot a few Leonids this year.
If you’ve been a JCI reader for a while, you already know that I’m fascinated by cosmological events. Black holes, the Aurora Borealis, nebulae, pulsars. These ancient celestial phenomena fill me with a sense of wonder and mystery in the same way my work with sound and the brain does.
So much so, that for my 30th Centerpointe anniversary this year, I decided to design a full Holosync suite of soundtracks that feature the sonified frequencies and vibrations associated with these cosmic happenings.
It’s an inspiring blend of neuroaudio technology and celestial vibratory acoustics called the Cosmic Consciousness Collection, and it’s something I’m very proud of. There’s just something deep, profound, and even poignant about how our brains experience these otherworldly sounds.
The Cosmic Consciousness Collection includes sonifications of:
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Pulsars with gamma brainwave induction.
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The “Sagittarius A*” black hole with super-deep epsilon frequencies.
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Aurora Borealis recordings targeting alpha.
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Nebulae vibrations with a low delta target state.
Plus, the deluxe version includes both the music version and an incredible guided exploration version too! Take a moment and have a look.
Whether you catch a Leonid or not, I’d encourage you to step outside next week and look up for a while. Something happens when you give yourself a few quiet minutes under a wide sky. The mind slows down. The little worries shrink. You feel, just a little, how big everything is and how small the day’s problems might be.
That’s the feeling I was chasing when I designed the Cosmic Consciousness Collection. And if it’s too cloudy, or cold, or you’d rather stay in your own warm living room, you can still experience that sense of awe and wonderment. Just put on your headphones, close your eyes, and let the sounds of the cosmos shower your brain.
And before I go, what kinds of natural phenomena inspire you? Do you like space themed things like I do? Or are you a little more “down to earth” in your tastes? Let me know!
Meanwhile, here’s to clear skies!
Until next time, this is me, Just Checking In!
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