Purpose:
A participatory Carillon concert event composed by Chris Chafe, performed by Tiffany Ng , and created by Greg Niemeyer, Willam Wu and Faye Held with NASA Parker Solar Probe data curated by Chelle Gentemann.
Method:
Two essential elements make life on Earth possible: the Sun’s energy and the abundance of water. Yet, the Sun’s inner workings remain obscured by enormous distance and heat. To uncover its mysteries, NASA launched the Parker Solar Probe, which has now reached its closest solar orbit. The spacecraft’s observations provide groundbreaking scientific insights and also reveal stunningly beautiful data about a world beyond our imagination—and at the very core of all life. Parker Solar Probe is the fastest human-made object ever, traveling at up to 430,000 mph, and the first spacecraft to fly through the Sun’s atmosphere—a daring mission to understand the solar wind and space weather that impact Earth. To the Sun celebrated this extraordinary journey with an interactive carillon performance, which premiered at UC Berkeley on April 11, 2025, at noon at Sather Tower.
UC Berkeley students William Wu and Faye Held helped develop the web app and visualizations. After the premiere at UC Berkeley, the concert toured to other carillons, including at the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Implementation/ Distribution:
The event features music composed by Chris Chafe, performed by carillonist Tiffany Ng, and an interactive web app by Greg Niemeyer that allows audiences to play along with the carillon while experiencing Parker Solar Probe’s breathtaking journey—from Earth to the landscape of an unimaginable place, the Sun, past Venus and Mercury, through plasma storms, dust rings, and intense magnetic fields.
Researchers and Contributors:
“To The Sun” was co-developed on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Berkeley Center for New Media by Greg Niemeyer (Professor of Media Innovation, UC Berkeley), Chris Chafe (Duca Family Professor, Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Stanford University), Chelle Gentemann (Open Science Program Scientist, Office of the Chief Science Data Officer, NASA, on Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignment from the International Computer Science Institute), Tiffany Ng (University Carillonist, University of Michigan), William Wu (UC Berkeley), Faye Held (UC Berkeley) and Tristan Peng (Stanford University). “To The Sun” is sponsored by the Berkeley Center for New Media and the UC Berkeley Department of Music.