On 12 August 2026, observers at the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre in Spain will witness a total solar eclipse. ESA’s CESAR team, together with researcher Rubén García Benito from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, has transformed the eclipse’s progression into a musical piece they call a “musification”.
The work derives nine parameters from a Stellarium simulation of the eclipse. Visible sunlight drives an arpeggio whose rhythm, range and volume follow the changing light, while the underlying chord shifts with the sky’s colour. A deep bass tone represents the growing darkness, peaking during totality, and a heartbeat‑like pulse mirrors the rate at which the light fades.
Additional sonic elements mark specific moments: bells chime at the contacts C1, C2, maximum eclipse and C3; a shimmering texture conveys the solar corona during totality; a descending whoosh signals the Sun’s disappearance below the horizon; a low night drone begins when the Sun drops out of view; and soft sparkling tones represent the stars that become visible after sunset.
Listeners can experience the musification via ESA’s live broadcast from Javalambre or explore further eclipse‑related material at esa.int/solareclipse. The project illustrates how scientific data can be re‑imagined through artistic expression to reach broader audiences.