In 1977, two identical spacecraft called Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched carrying two identical phonograph records. The records contained music and sounds that represented cultures and life from across the globe, just in case the probes ever came across alien life! Voyager 1 is currently the farthest manmade object from earth. It hasn’t encountered any aliens yet, but if aliens were ever to listen to the Golden Record, they would hear greetings from the people of earth in 55 languages, whale songs, traditional music from indigenous cultures, classical music, jungle sounds, rock and roll music, and more! Check out the Spotify playlist at the bottom of the post to hear some of the music from the Golden Record.
This has us thinking: what kind of music would we want to play for alien life? What sounds are so important that we would want to share it with the whole universe? One four-year-old we know suggested “Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star!” What music would you choose?
And what if alien life forms sent us a record?? What would alien music sound like? Many science fiction movies and shows feature theremin: an electronic instrument that is out of this world! You can see and hear one at our Tiny Tots: Outer Space shows in October and November. We hope to see you there! In the meantime, check out the video below.