The Sounds of Space

I've been too busy to post much lately, if anyone has noticed. But I heard this story recently on NPR that was just so cool that I had to share it.

Here's the link to the audio of the story.

Two scientists, one from Britain and one from Romania, asked the question, what do things sound like in space? We know what outer space looks like, but do things sound differently out there than here. This is a valid question because lots of atmospheric factors influence acoustics and sound--humidity and carbon dioxide concentration are examples. So, they put various parameters into a computer to try to simulate the atmospheres on Mars, Venus, and on Titan, one of the moons of Saturn. All three of these contain atmospheres. Then they played a Bach organ piece in each of those environments.

They sound different in each one! Not hugely different, but different enough to tell. Then they put each on top of each other and played a solar system symphony with contributions from Earth, Mars, Venus, and Titan. Wow was it dissonant!

So, while there is music in the spheres, it's not always harmonious.