Hear recordings of space from NASA’s spacecraft
When we look at the stars and sun in the sky, it’s easy to think of them existing in silent and mostly empty space - but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Over the years, NASA’s spacecraft have explored various corners of space collecting photos, videos, data, and radio emissions.
It’s these emissions that the scientists at the top space agency have converted into sound waves that are freely available to hear for yourself.
Some, like the whistling sounds captured in Saturn’s radio emissions by the Cassini spacecraft, are eerie to say the least, and so are droning tones resulting from the sonification of the Sun’s radio waves.
Other interesting sounds have come from the encounter between NASA’s Stardust spacecraft and a comet called Temple 1 in 2011, as the craft’s protective shield was pelted by icy dust particles and rocks.
And then there’s the sounds from plasma waves - movements of electrons in the magnetic fields surrounding Earth - with some, called ‘whistler waves’, sounding like a flock of noisy birds in parts of space that are warmer, or like the sound effects of a Space Invaders game after lightning strikes.
In 2018, the first “sounds” of winds on Mars were recorded by NASA’s InSight lander, which later went on to record ‘Marsquakes’ using a seismometer. The vibrations it recorded were then also turned into audio (it’s recommended to listen with headphones for the best experience).
To hear more sounds of space, click here and here.
Image: NASA