The twin Voyager probes were sent into space on August 20th 1977 and September 5th 1977. Their main objectives were to study the atmosphere of the planets, their physical structure, to detect magnetic fields, and to locate the rings and satellites.

Then, the Voyager probes were lost in space with, on board, a message for other civilisations. This message was recorded on a copper disc, recovered in gold. It contained 115 images, 35 sounds, numerous messages in 55 languagess and 27 musical extracts from Earth.

There is, therefore, a small part of Ludwig van Beethoven's in space. The extracts are:

- the first movement of the Fifth Symphony in C minor, opus 67;
- the string quartet number 13, for 2 Violins, 1 Viola and 1 Cello, opus 130.

Note that with them are a piece by Mozart and three extracts from the works of the Bach family.

Mercury is the planet nearest to the sun.

Its surface is riddled with crators, like our moon.

A year on Mercury lasts 88 earth days, but one day (that's one rotation of the planet on itself) takes 2/3 of these years...

And, on this planet, very hot in sunlight, 400°C, and very cold in the shade, -180°C, Ludwig van Beethoven is present!

On December 16th 1999, it was the 229th anniversary of Beethoven's birth. It was on this day that the universe seemed to flare up, an event lasting just a few seconds.

Given the date, and the brilliance of this phenomenom, it was given the name "Beethoven Burst".

Astronomers recorded this rare, strong event with gamma waves. The scientists researched the cause of such an event. Gamma waves carry energy in high quantities. Thankfully, events like this happen far from our galaxy.

The origin of the Beethoven Burst is found 10 million light years away (not long after the Big-Bang). The cause is unknown, it could be the meeting of a neutron star with a black hole, or a hypernova, around 100 times more powerful than the supernova...