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Do auroras make noise?

Do auroras make noise? That is a question that has been discussed for a long time. Some people are convinced that the aurora has a sound, while others say that it is impossible. One thing that makes some scientists doubt it is that people who have heard the sound say that it happens at the same time as the aurora is fluttering the most. Since the sound is made of waves that move slower than the speed of light, the sound could not possibly be heard at the same time as the light is observed. The aurora is located approximately 100 kilometres from the Earth's surface and because of the great distance the sound would be almost five minutes slower than the light.

Despite all these doubts, a lot of people around the auroral zone have heard sounds related to very strong auroras. These sounds have never been recorded, but the descriptions of the sound are very similar from all around the auroral zone.

The sounds seem to be of two different kinds, a sparkling sound and a whiz. The sounds have been noticed during calm weather while the aurora has moved rapidly directly above the listening person's head. Auroral sounds are extremely rare and a lot of people who have seen many auroras have never heard them.


[Northern lights (with Table of Contents)]
[previous: Different auroras] [dictionary] [next: Beliefs in ancient times]

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