A sound journey through the cosmos: what is the sound of space like?

When we think of a life in space, perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is the lack of gravity and spacewalks with men in heavy suits and slow walks. Being such a strange scenario compared to our reality, we can omit certain aspects, that is, have you ever wondered what sounds are like in space? One thing is certain, they are far from the experience on Earth.

Perhaps the most emblematic phrase in science fiction cinema related to space is the one made famous by Ridley Scott through ‘Alien’: “In space, nobody can hear you scream”. And yes, it is true, not only because of the enormous distances that separate us from other planets, but also because out there sound travels in different ways.

We don’t always stop to appreciate what a great wonder the Earth is. It is already so everyday that we ignore the fact that until now we have not found a planet with the same conditions. If we could understand that it is in fact a big bubble that keeps us safe from the vacuum of space, maybe we would start taking care of it. That is, everything we need is here, even what we don’t see. When we vocalize or emit any sound, we are not aware that, thanks to the atmosphere, it can propagate in the form of waves and then reach the ears of someone else.

How is the sound in space?

In space we don’t have sounds, not because they don’t exist per se, but for the simple and simple reason that molecules are required for it. On Earth, with every sound we make, we are able to move the molecules of the atmosphere through sound waves. This is how they travel and spread to distant targets. However, in space the stage is much larger, virtually empty and much quieter. And we say virtually, because molecules do exist, but you can barely find about 10 atoms for every cubic meter. An abysmal difference with the molecules present in the earth’s atmosphere. Without this big combo of atoms, sound simply has no way to travel through space.

Despite this, we should be grateful that this is not the case. If they found a way to travel across the distance, the sounds of space would be overwhelming. The closest star to us is the Sun, which keeps at its center exponentially high temperatures of around 15,000,000°C. There within its core, millions of fusion explosions are brewing that then generate turbulence in its outermost layers.

If space were not silenced by a vacuum, the trillions upon trillions of watts of sound energy at the solar surface would constantly overwhelm us. Like a concrete drill amplifying its sound through speakers all the time. So in a sense, the void is there to protect us and give us a much more pleasant soundscape within our own bubble.

Although as we have said before, space is silent not because there are no sounds, but because they are not capable of traveling. With the right instruments and sonication techniques, astronomers have managed to recreate the sounds of pulsars., Jupiter’s magnetic field and even cosmic dust left behind by a comet. You can listen to these sounds in a playlist shared by NASA.

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