Voyager 2 investigates the cosmos. (MPI/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

It’s fascinating to think that some of the most beautiful and haunting music I’ve heard in my life isn’t the work of British electronic artists. Nope, what I’m listening to at this very moment was recorded by two automated NASA probes — and all the music itself was produced by the planets and moons of our solar systems.

Yep, I’m listening to “Symphonies of the Planets,” the five-volume collection of ambient space drone music released in 1992 by Lasterlight Records. When Voyager I and II made their 5-billion-mile journey across the solar system, the probes recorded electromagnetic waves in the soundless void of space surrounding Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus.

For instance, the probes picked up the interaction of solar wind on the planets magnetospheres, which releases ionic particles with an audible vibration frequency. Essentially, we can then translate these waves into sound waves and put them on an album. The probes also recorded:

• Waves from the magnetospheres
• Trapped radio waves bouncing between each planet and the inner surface of its atmosphere
• Electromagnetic field noise in space itself
• Charged particle interactions of each planet, its moons and solar wind
• Waves from charged particle emissions from the rings of some planets

I really can’t go any further till you hear the sounds for yourself (click below). Play this YouTube track and you’ll get a taste of what I’m talking about. The probes recorded all this data on magnetometers, plasma detectors, low-energy charged particle detectors, radio antennas and instruments to measure cosmic rays and plasma waves. Then, some uncredited artist or artists arranged selections from these recordings into a more musical form. So you’re not listening to the raw data here, but rather an audible collage constructed from various pieces.

Sadly, the albums are out of print and mostly available in used or bootleg form; fortunately, a friend of mine had a copy, so here we are. Whether you’re a space junky or an electronic music fan, you really need to get your hands on these.

Similar to all this is the musical work of Italian astrophysicist Fiorella Terenzi, who mixes traditional musical elements in with all the cosmic stuff. Her vibe is far more new age and less ambient/drone, so it’s not as much my cup of tea. But hey, Time Magazine apparently dubbed her a cross between Carl Sagan and Madonna, so what’s not to love? She also admits to “fantasizing about Orion like (her) celestial lover.” So hey, if there are any single nebulae out there interested in meeting that special new age, nerdy blond bombshell, then let me direct you to Dr. Terenzi’s  Web site. Oh, and do check out some interview and concert footage:

I can’t help but assume the creators of BBC’s “Look Around You” were inspired by Terenzi when they wrote this bit from their Music 2000 episode, which featured Toni Baxter, a “theoretical physicist from the McBritish Institute.”

So there you have it: a heaping helping of space music. If you want more, explore the weird and spacey music links below, as well as the excellent B-Side music podcast.

Thanks to HSW’s Rob Sheppe for bringing “Symphonies of the Planets” to my attention last month and Dave Striepe for his musical input!

More Space Music:
Vol. 1: Astronauts and Ambient Music
Vol. 2: Desert Island Reads… IN SPACE
Vol. 3: Symphonies of the Planets: Music from the Hearts of Space?
Vol. 4: Carl Sagan – “A Glorious Dawn”
Vol. 5: Johannes Kepler has an Opera
Vol. 6: Cory McAbee and the Space Musical
Vol. 7: The P-Funk Mothership