The Sound of Earth Being Wracked by a Solar Storm Is Eerily Disturbing

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The Sound of Earth Being Wracked by a Solar Storm Is Eerily Disturbing

In space, no one can hear you scream because sound can't travel in a vacuum. But if we convert electromagnetic activity to sound, it suddenly becomes a very noisy place. And our Earth is no exception; specifically, in and around the magnetic field generated by Earth's molten core.

This barrier, called a magnetosphere, is thought to be one of the vital ingredients for a life-supporting planet, protecting us from the harsh radiation of the solar wind. And the stronger the wind, the louder the magnetosphere sings.

As charged particles from the solar wind stream towards the magnetosphere, some are reflected from the shock region in front of the magnetic field back towards the Sun. This 'backsplash' then interacts with the solar wind that's still streaming in, generating instabilities in the plasma and resulting in magnetoacoustic waves.

Scientists on Earth then translate these magnetoacoustic waves into sound - strange chirps and whistles - to understand the dynamics of interactions between the solar wind and the magnetosphere.

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