Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Music for a dwarf planet


First Ceres, now Pluto, as GeoBeats News reports New Horizons Contacts Earth After Pluto Flyby.

The historic Pluto mission has officially been declared a success.

After going dark when its intense observational period of Pluto began, the New Horizons spacecraft transmitted its first signal back to the NASA crew indicating safe passage Tuesday night.
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The first images from the flyby are expected to be shared with the public shortly, and New Horizons will continue to stream back information over the next 16 months.
That news deserves a musical celebration.  I present Pluto, the Renewer by Colin Matthews, accompanied by images of the outermost of Outer Senshi, Sailor Pluto.


National Geographic News has more on this composition in Why Classical Music Snubbed Pluto, Too.
[I]t turns out that Pluto was creating kerfuffles almost from the moment it was discovered—even among world-reknowned composers.
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Holst was alive for Pluto’s discovery in 1930, but while astronomers hailed Pluto as a new planet, the composer “showed no interest” in making a new movement, Salgado said.

For one thing, Pluto had no astrological meaning. For another, Holst “kind of resented the popularity of The Planets, because it overshadowed the rest of his catalog.”

By popular demand—and a commission from the HallĂ© Orchestra in the U.K.—there is a movement for Pluto, written by Holst scholar and composer Colin Matthews in 2000.
I'm looking forward to all the images and discoveries from this mission.  In the meantime, enjoy the music!

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