At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, researchers have discovered a way to "hear" the sun by transforming its vibrations into sound. Although space lacks air for sound waves to travel, if it did, the sun would be deafening—about 140 decibels, similar to a jet engine. The sun vibrates naturally, and scientists observe these oscillations via changes in visible light. These oscillations are then converted into audio, which is featured in NASA's Solarium exhibit. The sun's noisy nature comes from its structure: it isn't solid but a plasma, a superheated state where atoms break into charged particles. This creates complex motions due to electric and magnetic fields.
Solar wind, composed of plasma as well, generates its own unique sounds. These aren't just simple sound waves but a variety of complex plasma waves. NASA's Parker Solar Probe, launched in 2008, has been collecting these solar sounds using radio telescopes, flying within a few million kilometers of the sun. By analyzing these waves, scientists gain insight into the sun's inner workings. Understanding the sun's behavior is crucial because solar activity can affect Earth—damaging satellites, disrupting GPS, or even knocking out power grids. The sun remains a constant presence in our lives, and listening to its sound opens new doors to understanding our closest star.
Vocabulary:
• vibration (noun): a continuous shaking movement
• deafening (adj): extremely loud
• oscillation (noun): repeated movement back and forth
• plasma (noun): a hot gas made of charged particles, the sun's state
• constituents (noun): parts that make up something
• waves (noun): repeating patterns of movement, like sound or water
• probe (noun): a spacecraft sent to explore space
• solar wind (noun): a stream of charged particles from the sun
• satellites (noun): man-made objects orbiting Earth
• magnetic field (noun): an invisible force created by magnets or electric currents
Source: BBC Global