With only a few days left until Halloween, the European Space Agency (ESA) wants to prove to us all how terrifying space can truly be. By converting data gathered by Swarm satellites into sound, scientists from the Technical University of Denmark can present to the world how frightening a solar storm can sound as it interacts with the magnetic field of the Earth.
Solar storms can manifest through either coronal mass ejections or solar flares. The Sun is pretty tumultuous from time to time, and the extra amount of energy it releases could be powerful enough to damage power grids, internet networks, as well as other communication devices from our planet.
“Bringing art and science together”
You can listen to the new audio recording below:
Klaus Nielsen from the Technical University of Denmark, a supporter of the project, stated as Engadget quotes:
The team used data from ESA’s Swarm satellites, as well as other sources, and used these magnetic signals to manipulate and control a sonic representation of the core field. The project has certainly been a rewarding exercise in bringing art and science together,
The rumbling of Earth’s magnetic field is accompanied by a representation of a geomagnetic storm that resulted from a solar flare on November 3rd, 2011, and indeed it sounds pretty scary.
The Earth’s magnetic field plays a huge role in making our planet habitable. It acts as a shield in the face of cosmic radiation that would otherwise destroy our atmosphere.
If you need yet another reason to be convinced that space can indeed provide terrifying sounds, you can also listen to the sounds emitted by a black hole, as revealed by NASA back in August. In other words, perhaps all those costumes resembling vampires, werewolves, or witches should be replaced with those of astronauts for this Halloween!
