The Bizarre Sounds of the Sun - Exploring the Solar Wind

🌞The solar wind is a powerful stream of highly charged material coming out of the sun, with a mass of about a million tons per second.

🌀Whistler mode waves are pressure waves caused by energetic electrons bursting out of the sun's corona, creating a chaotic roaring or screaming hurricane-like sound.

🎶Langmuir waves are high-frequency pressure waves in the solar wind that produce an almost ethereal high-pitched whaling sound.

🔊Dispersive waves quickly shift frequencies as they move through the solar wind, creating a chirping sound like wind rushing over a microphone.

💥Microscopic impacts of dust colliding with the Parker Solar Probe's instruments produce a static-like sound, revealing the presence of asteroids and comets torn apart by the sun's gravity and heat.

What is the solar wind?

—The solar wind is a continuous stream of highly charged material, mainly plasma, blowing out from the sun in all directions across the solar system.

How fast does the solar wind travel?

—The solar wind travels at speeds of about one million miles per hour, or about 1.6 million kilometers per hour.

What causes the whistler mode waves?

—Whistler mode waves are caused by energetic electrons bursting out of the sun's corona and following magnetic field lines, amplifying pressure waves in the solar wind.

Why are dispersive waves important?

—Dispersive waves are important because they provide insights into the composition and behavior of the solar wind as they quickly shift frequencies, revealing interactions and phenomena occurring in the solar wind.

What do the microscopic impacts sound like?

—The microscopic impacts of dust colliding with the Parker Solar Probe's instruments sound like TV static, representing the chipping away of the spacecraft as the dust particles burst apart upon collision.

01:06The solar wind, a stream of highly charged material, is continuously blowing out from the sun into the solar system at a mass of about a million tons per second.

02:44Whistler mode waves are pressure waves caused by energetic electrons following magnetic field lines and amplifying in the solar wind, creating a chaotic roaring or screaming hurricane-like sound.

04:48Langmuir waves, similar to whistler waves, are high-frequency pressure waves that produce an ethereal high-pitched whaling sound in the solar wind.

05:33Chirping sounds are created by dispersive waves in the solar wind, which quickly shift frequencies, resembling wind rushing over a microphone.

06:06Microscopic impacts of dust colliding with the Parker Solar Probe's instruments create a static-like sound, representing the bursting apart of dust particles and the chipping away of the spacecraft.