Musification of the 2026 total solar eclipse

The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced a ‘musification’ of the 12 August 2026 total solar eclipse, converting celestial observations into an audio experience. The project, a collaboration between ESA’s CESAR team and researcher Rubén García Benito from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC), uses Stellarium simulation data to generate music in real time. Nine parameters, including sunlight intensity and sky colour, will dictate the composition’s rhythm, volume, and tonal shifts as the eclipse progresses.

The musification maps eclipse phases to distinct musical elements: an arpeggio reflects visible sunlight, while a descending whoosh marks the Sun’s disappearance below the horizon. A heartbeat-like tension builds as light fades, peaking during totality before subsiding. Bells will chime at key contact points—C1, C2, maximum eclipse, and C3—highlighting precise moments in the event’s timeline.

Background pads will darken as the sky reddens, and a low night drone will emerge as night falls, accompanied by soft tones representing visible stars. The corona’s appearance during totality will be rendered as a suspended brightness in the audio. The project aims to translate astronomical data into an accessible sensory format, blending science with artistic interpretation.

ESA will broadcast the musification live from the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre in Spain, with additional resources available on the agency’s eclipse portal. The initiative forms part of broader ESA activities for the 2026 eclipse, offering the public an innovative way to engage with the celestial event through sound.