Sleeping at last: “Kepler – goodnight”

Ryan O'Neal, a musician better known as Sleeping at Last, is a bit of a science geek, particularly when it comes to astronomy and the cosmos. (Learn more about that in our interview with O'Neal from earlier this year.)

Bit by bit, song by song, he's been creating a series called Astronomy, which O'Neal describes as “music inspired by astronomical discoveries and events in the observable Universe." His latest addition to the ongoing project, “Kepler – Goodnight," just released, marking the end of the mission for NASA's Kepler spacecraft.

“This is a tribute to NASA's Space Telescope, Kepler, which after nine years of space exploration and data collecting on planets and stars, ran out of fuel, completing its mission," O'Neal writes in his newsletter. “Kepler was NASA's first ever planet-hunting mission and with more than 2,600 planet discoveries from outside of our Solar System, it blew away all expectations. On October 30th, Kepler was retired. 'Goodnight' commands will soon be sent and Kepler will become part of the infinite Space it set out to explore. This piece of music was inspired by the hope and adventure that was embodied in Kepler and the team of human beings that made it possible."

O'Neal started the Astronomy series with the total solar eclipse of August 2017, and has added eight tracks since—including “Super Blue Blood Moon,"“Total Lunar Eclipse," and “Perseid Meteor Shower." O'Neal is always adding to his growing series Atlas(based on the origins of the universe and life within it), and hosts a compelling podcast about the creative process behind his music.