Latest news with #BlueDanube
New York Times
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Vienna's Musical Message to Aliens: One, Two, Three. One, Two, Three.
What would aliens make of the waltz? That was the big question on Saturday evening while the Vienna Symphony Orchestra performed Johann Strauss's world-renowned 'Blue Danube' waltz, as a 35-meter antenna in Cebreros, Spain, simultaneously transmitted a recording of it into space. The Vienna Tourist Board, which organized the event at the Museum of Applied Arts in collaboration with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the European Space Agency, said beaming the music into the cosmos was an effort to correct the record, as it were. In 1977, when the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft left the Earth with two copies of the Golden Record, which contains images, sounds and music from Earth, Strauss's 'Blue Danube' waltz did not make the cut. This was a mistake, according to Vienna's tourism board, which is celebrating Strauss's 200th birthday this year. After all, Strauss was the 19th-century equivalent of a pop star. According to Tim Dokter, the director of artistic administration for the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, back then, each composition for the waltz was like a hot new single. 'People would wait for it, like, 'Oh, a new waltz dropped today,'' Dokter said. 'It was something new to dance to, like a new techno song.' With Voyager 1 already more than 15 billion miles from Earth, the farthest of any object humans have launched into the universe, there's no way to make changes to the Golden Record. Instead, the 'Blue Danube' waltz — traveling as an electromagnetic wave at the speed of light — will overtake the spacecraft and continue to soar into deep space. Will aliens be able to access the recording? 'If aliens have a big antenna, receive the waves, convert them into music, then they could hear it,' said Josef Aschbacher, the director general of the European Space Agency. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Belfast Telegraph
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
Strauss's Blue Danube beamed into space as Vienna celebrates with concert
The European Space Agency's big radio antenna in Spain beamed the waltz into the cosmos on Saturday. Operators aimed the dish at Voyager 1, the world's most distant spacecraft, more than 15 billion miles away. Travelling at the speed of light, the music was expected to overtake Voyager 1 within 23 hours. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra performed the Blue Danube during the space transmission, which actually sent up a version from rehearsal. It is part of a year-long celebration marking the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss, who was born in Vienna in 1825. The Strauss space send-off also marks the 50th anniversary of ESA's founding. Launched in 1977 and now in interstellar space, each of the two Voyagers carries a Golden Record full of music but nothing from Strauss. His Blue Danube holds special meaning for space fans, as it is featured in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Asharq Al-Awsat
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Strauss' ‘Blue Danube' Is Beamed into Space as Vienna Celebrates with a Concert
Strauss' 'Blue Danube' waltz has finally made it into space, nearly a half-century after missing a ride on NASA's twin Voyager spacecraft. The European Space Agency's big radio antenna in Spain beamed the waltz into the cosmos Saturday. Operators aimed the dish at Voyager 1, the world's most distant spacecraft more than 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) away. Traveling at the speed of light, the music was expected to overtake Voyager 1 within 23 hours. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra performed the 'Blue Danube' during the space transmission, which actually sent up a version from rehearsal. It's part of the yearlong celebration marking the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II, who was born in Vienna in 1825. The Strauss space send-off also honors the 50th anniversary of ESA's founding. Launched in 1977 and now in interstellar space, each of the two Voyagers carries a Golden Record full of music but nothing from the waltz king. His 'Blue Danube' holds special meaning for space fans: It's featured in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi film '2001: A Space Odyssey.'
North Wales Chronicle
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Strauss's Blue Danube beamed into space as Vienna celebrates with concert
The European Space Agency's big radio antenna in Spain beamed the waltz into the cosmos on Saturday. Operators aimed the dish at Voyager 1, the world's most distant spacecraft, more than 15 billion miles away. Travelling at the speed of light, the music was expected to overtake Voyager 1 within 23 hours. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra performed the Blue Danube during the space transmission, which actually sent up a version from rehearsal. It is part of a year-long celebration marking the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss, who was born in Vienna in 1825. The Strauss space send-off also marks the 50th anniversary of ESA's founding. Launched in 1977 and now in interstellar space, each of the two Voyagers carries a Golden Record full of music but nothing from Strauss. His Blue Danube holds special meaning for space fans, as it is featured in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Powys County Times
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Strauss's Blue Danube beamed into space as Vienna celebrates with concert
Strauss's Blue Danube waltz has finally made it into space, nearly half a century after missing a ride on Nasa's twin Voyager spacecraft. The European Space Agency's big radio antenna in Spain beamed the waltz into the cosmos on Saturday. Operators aimed the dish at Voyager 1, the world's most distant spacecraft, more than 15 billion miles away. Travelling at the speed of light, the music was expected to overtake Voyager 1 within 23 hours. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra performed the Blue Danube during the space transmission, which actually sent up a version from rehearsal. It is part of a year-long celebration marking the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss, who was born in Vienna in 1825. The Strauss space send-off also marks the 50th anniversary of ESA's founding. Launched in 1977 and now in interstellar space, each of the two Voyagers carries a Golden Record full of music but nothing from Strauss.
