It’s fair to assume that space is an endless expanse of aural nothingness.
For us mere terrestrials, it’s near impossible to imagine what kind of sounds might be bouncing around up there. Where would they come from, and how would they travel? And for those select few who have actually been in space, the equipment that must be worn to stay alive eliminates any chance of hearing anything aside from the pumps and fans circulating air.
That being said, some spacecraft have instruments capable of capturing radio emissions in the cosmos. And when these are converted into sound waves, the results are pretty haunting, particularly when you consider the magnitude of what it is you’re hearing.
Get your spook on this Halloween with this playlist of haunting sounds recorded in space by NAASA over the last 40 years.
Just in time for Halloween, NASA has put together a compilation of these elusive “sounds” – howling planets, whistling helium and choruses of radio waves bouncing around atmospheres of different planets.
Alongside the playlist, NASA has offered up a bunch explanations of what it is you are hearing; which is pretty handy because a lot of the noise just sound like someone noodling around on a synth.
For example:
“NASA’s Juno spacecraft has crossed the boundary of Jupiter’s immense magnetic field. Juno’s Waves instrument recorded the encounter with the bow shock over the course of about two hours on June 24, 2016. “Bow shock” is where the supersonic solar wind is heated and slowed by Jupiter’s magnetosphere. It is analogous to a sonic boom on Earth.
The next day, June 25, 2016, the Waves instrument witnessed the crossing of the magnetopause. “Trapped continuum radiation” refers to waves trapped in a low-density cavity in Jupiter’s magnetosphere.”
Or a personal favourite – the sound of NASA’s Stardust spacecraft being pelted by dust particles and small rocks as a comet speeds past.
Check out the entire playlist now, and load it up when you’re getting spooky tonight. Happy Halloween.
First Published in 2017
