• Home
  • Mail
  • News
  • Finance
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Search
  • Mobile
  • More
Yahoo
    • Skip to Navigation
    • Skip to Main Content
    • Skip to Related Content
    • Mail
    Lifestyle Home
    Follow Us
    • Style
    • Beauty
    • Wellness
    • Shopping
    • MAKERS
    • Holiday Guide for Guys
    • Pets
    • Video
    • Horoscopes
    • Pop Culture

    Spacecraft record weird ‘music’ of our planet during solar storm

    Rob Waugh
    Contributor
    Yahoo News UKNovember 19, 2019
    Reblog
    Share
    Tweet
    Share
    March 30, 2010 - Close-up of a solar eruptive prominence as seen in extreme UV light.
    Solar storms see our planet buffeted by charged particles. Image shows a prominence on the sun in extreme UV light (Getty)

    An eerie song that wouldn’t sound out of place on a sci-fi film soundtrack came wailing from our planet as it was hit by a solar storm.

    But the strange music is actually created by waves in Earth’s magnetic field when it is buffeted by a solar storm. 

    Solar storms are eruptions of charged particles from the sun – and the strange “song” was heard after scientists analysed data from the Cluster Science Archive. 

    Cluster consists of four spacecraft that orbit Earth in formation, investigating our planet’s magnetic environment and its interaction with the solar wind – a constant flow of particles released by the Sun into the solar system.

    READ MORE:

    Nasa satellite captures incredible beauty of UK seen from space

    Binary Earth-sized planets possible around distant stars

    Insects could die out in ‘worst extinction since the dinosaurs’

    A team led by Lucile Turc, a former European Space Agency research fellow who is now based at the University of Helsinki, Finland, investigated the effect of solar storms on our planet.

    As part of their orbits, the Cluster spacecraft repeatedly fly through the foreshock, which is the first region that particles encounter when a solar storm hits our planet. 

    In the early part of the mission, from 2001 to 2005, the spacecraft flew through six such collisions, recording the waves that were generated.

    The new analysis shows that during the collision, the foreshock is driven to release magnetic waves that are much more complex than first thought.

    “Our study reveals that solar storms profoundly modify the foreshock region,” says Turc.

    When the frequencies of these magnetic waves are transformed into audible signals, they give rise to an uncanny song.

    In quiet times, when no solar storm is striking the Earth, the song is lower in pitch and less complex, with one single frequency dominating the oscillation. 

    “It’s like the storm is changing the tuning of the foreshock,” says Turc.

    Reblog
    Share
    Tweet
    Share

    What to Read Next

    • Adam Driver Used to Eat a Whole Rotisserie Chicken Every Day, Which Feels Right Somehow

      Men's Health
    • Woman’s explicit Christmas display draws outrage from neighbors: ‘It's certainly a statement‘

      In The Know
    • Zola says Hallmark Channel pulled its lesbian kiss commercial following One Million Moms boycott

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Former 80s model turned ‘Grandma Barbie’ re-creates life with mini dolls

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Two Women Landed in the ER After Using a Vacuum to End Their Periods, According to a Nurse's Scary Viral Tweet

      Meredith Videos
    • John Stamos Talks About Asking Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen to Appear on 'Fuller House'

      Good Housekeeping
    • Reese Witherspoon and Her Husband Were Caught Packing on the PDA in a Rare Photo

      Country Living
    • Melania Trump Issued a Statement About Donald Trump Mocking Greta Thunberg

      InStyle
    • A 17-Year-Old Girl Has Died Just Weeks After Developing Mono Symptoms

      Prevention
    • This best-selling winter jacket has a built-in heater

      In The Know
    • Girl, 11, wins races with unusual running shoes: 'It's a new running shoes design'

      In The Know
    • Former HGTV Host Christopher Dionne Sentenced to Prison After Sexually Assaulting a Child

      House Beautiful
    • Some People Are *Convinced* Kris Jenner Is Interviewing a Young Beyoncé in This Vintage Clip from 1992

      Marie Claire
    • Sally Field Says Her Romance With Burt Reynolds Was "Really Complicated and Hurtful"

      Good Housekeeping
    • Miss Universe says her win is a step forward in healing 'racial divide,' but 'there's still a lot of discrimination' in the world

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Dolly Parton Says You Never See Her Without Makeup, Because She Literally Sleeps in It

      House Beautiful

    Brazilians arrive in waves at the US-Mexico border

    Ryan: "Economic refugee" is an oxymoron. There is no such thing as seeking refuge in another country from economic conditions. If they were really interested in improving things, they'd make changes at home, like we had to do. We fought revolutions and a civil war. While our history isn't perfect, it paved the way to being the only superpower in existence today with unprecedented prosperity, not because we received handouts, but because we worked our tails off and fought for it tooth and nail. Perhaps it's time they did the same in the places they come from. They could start by having fewer kids, for one. If you're in desperate poverty, the last thing you need to be doing is having so many kids. Even those of us in developed countries typically know that having too many kids isn't the best idea when you're not financially ready for it. Be that as it may, the Dems and mainstream media are once again trying to rewrite the narrative regarding ILLEGAL immigration and push an open borders policy, despite their claims to the contrary. They want open borders because all those people clamoring to get in are mostly potential Democratic voters. That is evidenced by Democrats rail against voter ID laws and in some places like California, don't require a birth certificate to obtain a driver's license.

    Join the Conversation
    1 / 5

    767

    • This Underwear Trend Is Quickly Dying

      Who What Wear
    • Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton’s Duet on ‘Nobody But You’ Is Honestly Too Sweet for Words

      STYLECASTER
    • See Psalm Makes His Debut in This Year's Kardashian-West Family Christmas Card

      Delish
    • A Source Just Revealed How Justin Timberlake's Wife Really Feels About His PDA Scandal

      Country Living
    • Gym buffs and athletes will love the Theragun massager for treating sore muscles

      In The Know
    • Christmas fanatic Mariah Carey reveals all about how she spends her favorite holiday

      Yahoo Lifestyle Videos
    • Olivia Plath of 'Welcome to Plathville' Accuses TLC Of Altering Her Storyline to Make It 'Dramatic'

      Woman's Day
    • Reese Witherspoon isn’t here for your sexist shaming over her superstar paycheck

      Meredith Videos
    • Heart failure: Dr. Oz explains this medical condition that affects millions of Americans

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • We Almost Missed Kate Middleton’s New Diamond Ring

      PureWow
    • How to Pull Off Spring’s Glossy Eyelids Trend and Not Look Sweaty

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Gabrielle Union shared her hairstyles that were deemed “too Black” for America’s Got Talent

      Hello Giggles
    • Chrissy Teigen Got Her Mom A Birthday Cake That Looks Exactly Like A Bowl Of Pho And It's Blowing Peoples' Minds

      Delish
    • Pregnant Ashley Graham wears skintight latex dress for 'knocked up' Jessica Rabbit costume

      Yahoo Lifestyle Videos
    • Marissa Schillaci-Kayton lost 100 pounds and is living her best life

      Yahoo Lifestyle Videos
    • Slow Cooker Lemon Butter Chicken & Potatoes Is The Perfect Weeknight Meal

      Delish Videos