The Sound of a Black Hole

Taking audio source material from Nasa's Chandra Sonification Project (Nasa Chandra X-Ray Observatory, May 2022), John White visually captured the sound of the black hole at the centre of the Perseus Galaxy.

The audio was played through a speaker on to which White attached a petri dish, blacked out at the bottom and then filled with about 3mm (0.11in) of water.

Using a macro lens and halo light in a dark room, White experimented with the audio and volumes to explore the various patterns made in the liquid.

This picture won White the Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation at this year's Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. The competition is held annually at The Royal Observatory Greenwich in London.

More cool photos from the competition here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-66807814