The earth’s magnetic field protects us from dangerous radiation from space. (Image: ESA)
Our Earth’s magnetic field is extremely important to our existence on the planet as it protects us from solar winds and cosmic rays. It benefits us like an invisible shield that encloses the earth like a comet.
If you travel far north, you can even see our magnetic field with your own eyes. When electrically charged particles are carried to our Earth by solar winds and they collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in our magnetosphere, auroras are formed – visual evidence of our magnetic field.
This is what the auroras look like on board the ISS. (Image: NASA)
Researchers at the European Space Agency ESA have received signals from their Swarm
-Satellites converted into sounds so that we can now also hear the magnetic field. Klaus Nielsen from the Technical University of Denmark
who is also a musician, supported the researchers.
According to Nielsen, the team used magnetic signals from the Earth’s core, surface, oceans and magnetosphere, with low-pitched tones representing fluctuations in the actual magnetic field and high-pitched tones representing interactions with solar storms. The whole project was a rewarding experience for him, to combine art and science.
The recording lasts five minutes and the sounds could easily come from a horror film. You can listen here for yourself
What sounds so creepy is our magnetic field interacting with a solar storm. No wonder it sometimes sounds like a sailing ship on the high seas.
If you’re a fan of astronomy, check out the world’s largest camera that’s set to capture the night sky for 10 years:
Largest digital camera in the world
The researchers themselves fit into this huge lens
The art doesn’t stop there, however. From October 24th to 30th, 2022, the sounds were played through loudspeakers built into the floor at Solbjerg Square in Copenhagen.
32 of them broadcast the tones of the magnetic field three times a day, with each speaker representing a different place on earth. The team does not want to scare people with the sounds, but rather draw attention to the protective effect of our magnetic field.
If you also want to know what a black hole sounds like, have a look here:
Warning: creepy! You can now listen to what a black hole sounds like
What do you think of the sound of the magnetic field? After the black hole and now our magnetic field, what would you like to hear next? Write it to us in the comments!
