The Sounds of Mars, Venus and Titan –
Symphonic Orchestras of the Stars
Source: University of Southampton press release
Despite many years of space exploration, we have no evidence of the sound of other planets.
Many years of space exploration, in huge diversity of forms has taken place but in all that time, and despite all the technology available to us no-one, ever, has heard the “sound of another world.”
“Hearing the sounds communicates ideas about the different atmospheres and highlights the sheer alienness of the other worlds in our solar system.”
~Dr. Jenny Shipway, Planetarium Manager at INTECH
Venutian lightning, Martian whirlwinds, Titan’s (Saturn’s largest satellite-moon) icy volcanoes – the natural sounds of other worlds all from the utilisation of maths and physics! Proving that there really is a valid point and reason to our enduring long and torturous maths classes and endless hours spent in the school physics lab!
A Southampton University team led by Professor Tim Leighton of the University’s Institute for Sound and Vibration Research have, using unique transforming software been able to model the sound of a human voice on Earth to one on another world/alien planet.
Mars, Venus and Titan all have very different and varied temperatures, atmospheres and pressures. These factors all play a valid role in affecting how the human vocals sound in different off-worldly environments.
“We are confident of our calculations; we have been rigorous in our use of physics taking into account atmospheres, pressure and fluid dynamics.” ~ Professor Leighton
“On Venus, the pitch of your voice would become much deeper. That is because the planet’s dense atmosphere means that the vocal cords vibrate more slowly through this ‘gassy soup’. However, the speed of sound in the atmosphere on Venus is much faster than it is on Earth, and this tricks the way our brain interprets the size of a speaker (presumably an evolutionary trait that allowed our ancestors to work out whether an animal call in the night was something that was small enough to eat or so big as to be dangerous). When we hear a voice from Venus, we think the speaker is small, but with a deep bass voice. On Venus, humans sound like bass Smurfs.” ~ Professor Leighton
The latest research has led to the capturing of the sound of the Martian and Venutian atmospheres – extending the science further and also adding to the portfolio, the sounds of Martian thunder and dust storms, Venutian thunder, and the sound of thunder on Titan and of it’s ice cold cryo-volcanoes.
~ Research conducted by MSc students Nikhil Banda and Benoit Berges working with Professors Leighton and White
Professor Leighton and Dr. Andi Petculescu at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette have also investigated in detail how musical instruments accompanied by human singing would sound if conducted in an alien planet environment. In the future, if mankind is able to create Martian settlements they might well decide to take the “sounds of Earth” with them in the form of music and instruments or maybe design something new during their time on Mars. Perhaps even creating a galactic orchestra with Martian symphonies! It would be interesting to hear how they would sound and be affected by such an extreme environment. The song of the stars!
There is also another sound not heard before on Mars… Chickens It is worth noting that the Galactic Olympic Stadium on Olympic Host World, Mars has currently been converted into a “Super Chicken Coop”… They have since been eaten…by Clowie the Pyrenean Mountain Dog so there is only one left….
“Chicken on Mars Song” provides the sounds of the one remaining chicken on Mars (There were a lot more before Clowie arrived ) This Martian Chicken is also clear evidence that there is indeed life on Mars!