Tyler Wynn
The idea that no one can hear sounds in space is a common misconception. Sound waves cannot travel through the vacuum that makes up most of the universe, as they require atoms and molecules to carry them. However, NASA has recently captured actual sound in space, in the form of pressure waves emitted from a black hole, causing ripples in the cluster of stars' hot gas. This discovery challenges the notion that space is completely silent and introduces new possibilities for exploring and understanding astronomical data through sonifications.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Sound in space | No sound or echo in space |
| Reason | No atoms or molecules to carry sound waves |
| Sound waves | Can be detected from extremely low-density matter in deep space |
| Sound waves in natural environment | 57 octaves below the note middle C |
| Sound in space | No sound can travel in space |
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What You'll Learn
- Sound waves can't travel through a vacuum
- Sound waves can be detected from low-density matter in deep space
- Sound waves have been detected in the gas and plasma of the Perseus galaxy cluster
- Sound waves can be converted into audible frequencies
- Sonifications allow people to 'listen' to astronomical images
Sound waves can't travel through a vacuum
The iconic tagline from the 1979 sci-fi film "Alien" tells us that "in space, no one can hear you scream." This is because sound waves cannot travel through a vacuum, and space is mostly a vacuum, lacking the matter to carry sound waves. Sound waves are a wave of energy that moves through solids, liquids, or gases—in other words, they require a medium to travel.
Sound waves are carried by atoms and molecules. In space, there are no atoms or molecules to carry sound waves, so they do not travel at all. This means that there is no sound or echo in space. An echo happens when a sound wave hits a hard, flat surface and bounces back in the direction it came from.
However, in 2023, scientists demonstrated that, in certain situations, sound can be transmitted across a vacuum. In a study published in Communications Physics, researchers showed that sound can move through a vacuum under specific circumstances. The study found that sound waves could jump or "tunnel" across a vacuum gap between two solids if the materials in question are piezoelectric. The size of the gap must be smaller than the wavelength of the sound wave.
Additionally, NASA has captured "actual sound" in space, specifically in the hot gas surrounding the immense black hole at the center of the Perseus galaxy cluster, 250 million light years from Earth. NASA tweeted that the misconception that there is no sound in space originates from the fact that most space is a vacuum, providing no way for sound waves to travel. However, the agency clarified that a galaxy cluster has so much gas that they were able to pick up actual sound.
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Sound waves can be detected from low-density matter in deep space
The general consensus is that there is no sound in space. This is because sound waves require a medium (solid, liquid, or gas) to travel through, and space is a vacuum, lacking the matter to carry sound waves. However, this does not mean that there are absolutely no sound waves in space.
Sound waves can, in fact, be detected from low-density matter in deep space. While space is mostly a vacuum, some sounds can be detected from extremely low-density matter in deep space. For example, NASA has captured sound waves from the hot gas surrounding the immense black hole at the center of the Perseus galaxy cluster, which is 250 million light years from Earth.
The density of matter in space varies. In the space between stars, there are 0.1 particles per cubic centimeter, while in the vast voids between galaxies, the density is a million times lower. In these extremely low-density gases that fill space, pressure waves (usually thought of as sound) do not propagate at audible frequencies. However, these low-density gases are mostly charged, allowing the particles to interact via electric and magnetic fields, giving rise to an orchestra of wave modes. Many of these plasma waves occur naturally at audible frequencies, but the pressure is too low for humans to hear them.
The speed of sound waves in space also differs from that on Earth. In a typical nebula, the speed of sound waves is about 10 kilometers per second, much faster than the less than 1 kilometer per second speed of sound in Earth's air. The speed of sound also depends on the density of the medium. For example, the density of a brilliantly illuminated gas cloud like the Orion Nebula is around 10,000 particles per cm3, while Barnard 68, a small, cold, dense molecular cloud, has roughly a million particles per cm3.
In conclusion, while it is generally true that there is no sound in space, sound waves can be detected from low-density matter in deep space under certain conditions. These sound waves are typically at frequencies that are inaudible to humans but can be detected using specialized equipment.
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Sound waves have been detected in the gas and plasma of the Perseus galaxy cluster
It is a common misconception that there is no sound in space. While it is true that the vacuum of space lacks the matter for sound to travel, some sounds can be detected from extremely low-density matter in deep space.
In 2003, astronomers detected sound waves in the gas and plasma of the Perseus galaxy cluster, 250 million light years from Earth. The sound waves were created by a supermassive black hole at the centre of the cluster, which sent out pressure waves that caused ripples in the cluster's hot gas. These ripples could be translated into a note, but one that humans cannot hear—57 octaves below middle C.
To make these sound waves audible to humans, scientists raised their frequencies quadrillions of times. The result is an eerie, unearthly howling that sounds a little angry. This sonification of the black hole at the centre of the Perseus galaxy cluster was released by NASA in 2022.
The Perseus Cluster (Abell 426) is a cluster of thousands of galaxies immersed in a vast cloud of multimillion-degree gas. It is one of the most massive objects in the known universe and the brightest cluster in the sky when observed in the X-ray band.
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Sound waves can be converted into audible frequencies
It is a well-known fact that sound cannot travel in space. This is because sound waves need a medium such as a solid, liquid, or gas to travel, and space is a vacuum, lacking the matter to carry sound waves. Hence, the popular saying, "In space, no one can hear you scream."
However, in recent news, NASA has reported capturing 'actual sound' in space. The agency tweeted an audio clip representing sound waves rippling through the gas and plasma in the Perseus galaxy cluster, located 250 million light years from Earth. NASA explained that the sound waves in their natural environment were 57 octaves below the note middle C, and to make these tremors audible to humans, their frequencies were raised quadrillions of times. This is an example of how sound waves can be converted into audible frequencies.
Sound waves are mechanical disturbances that propagate through a medium such as air, water, or solids, carrying energy and information via oscillations of pressure and particle displacement. The energy carried by an oscillating sound wave converts back and forth between the potential energy of the extra compression or lateral displacement strain and the kinetic energy of the displacement velocity of particles of the medium. Sound waves are characterized by their ability to carry energy and information through the medium, manifesting in physical properties such as frequency, amplitude, wavelength, and speed.
The human hearing spectrum ranges from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and sounds within this range make up the audible sounds of daily life, from speech and music to environmental sounds. Sounds with frequencies below 20 Hz are known as infrasound, and while they are imperceptible to humans, they can be heard by some animals and can carry over long distances. On the other hand, ultrasound waves have frequencies above 20 kHz and are utilized in medical diagnostics, industrial cleaning, and materials testing.
The process of converting sound waves into audible frequencies involves manipulating the frequency of the sound wave. In the case of the NASA recording, the frequencies were raised by a significant amount to make them audible to human ears. This process of altering the frequency allows for the sound waves to be perceived by humans, as they fall within the audible range.
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Sonifications allow people to 'listen' to astronomical images
Sound is a wave of energy that moves through solids, liquids, or gases. In space, there are no molecules to carry sound waves, so there is no sound or echo. However, sonification—the process of translating data into sound—allows people to listen to astronomical images.
Sonifications are created by mapping data to audible tones. For example, radio waves are mapped to low tones, visible data to medium tones, and X-rays to high tones. This process allows the brightness and position of elements in an image to be translated into pitches and volumes. The resulting audio tracks are designed to be captivating and accessible to anyone, including blind and visually impaired listeners.
NASA has created sonifications of data from telescopes such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the James Webb Space Telescope. For instance, NASA sonified the 2014 Hubble Ultra Deep Field, playing a single note for each galaxy in the image. The pitch of the note indicates the galaxy's colour, with lower notes corresponding to redder colours and higher notes to bluer colours. The volume of the note indicates the galaxy's apparent size, with brighter lights being louder and lower pitched.
Sonifications have also been created for the Mice Galaxies, a colliding pair of galaxies located about 300 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices, and the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanet system. These sonifications allow people to experience astronomical images in a new way, raising awareness about astronomical research and encouraging a deeper appreciation for the cosmos.
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Frequently asked questions
No, there are no sounds in space because there are no atoms or molecules to carry sound waves.
Sound is a wave of energy that moves through solids, liquids, or gases. Space is a vacuum, lacking the matter to carry sound waves.
No one would be able to hear you because there is no sound or echo in space. However, any air you had in your lungs would expand and your lungs would rupture. You would also lose consciousness in 10 to 15 seconds due to a lack of oxygen.
While most of space is a vacuum, NASA has captured "actual sound" in the form of pressure waves emitted from a black hole at the center of the Perseus galaxy cluster, causing ripples in the cluster of stars' hot gas.
Sonifications are a way to experience and conceptualize astronomical data by assigning pitches and volumes to elements like brightness and position. This allows people, including those who are blind or visually impaired, to "listen" to astronomical images and explore their data.
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