Comments on: The Sound of the Aurora http://www.damninteresting.com/the-sound-of-the-aurora A collection of Damn Interesting things Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:48:54 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: LAS http://www.damninteresting.com/the-sound-of-the-aurora#comment-21085 LAS Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:12:19 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=923#comment-21085 It's real. In the early spring of 2004, I was out for a late night jog in western Montana, near a small town but not in it. The only sounds were me and my feet. At some point I looked up and noticed moving stringy green curtains of a remarkably strong aurora borealis. Before that point, I had only managed to see faint glowing of red and blue in the winter, but nothing like this. Some time later, probably within 15 minutes, I stopped jogging and walked for a while, trying to figure out the origin of a very low pitch, very rhythmic thrumming every couple of seconds. I looked up again to the north sky and although the curtains were gone, the sky was glowing strongly, more towards the farthest north than directly overhead. There were east-west bands of green moving from the north to directly overhead before disappearing, exactly in time to the thrumming. In fact, there was no delay from the beginning of a new band beginning to run and the beginning of the sound. I watched it for maybe 15 or 20 minutes like that, until I could no longer hear the sound, and the northern sky faded to a very faint glow. I made it to my dad's house and woke him up to see- not an easy thing to do. There were still very faint traveling bands of glow still, and he did see them. I was completely skeptical of what I had thought I had heard until reading an article perhaps a few months later. To me, they were as real as anything, and I did notice these sounds before actually noticing the bands of light or any other subconscious clue that might have contributed to a perception issue. I think what I perceived was as real as rain, but what caused it is anyone's guess- either real sound or some sort of direct stimulation. In seeing dozens of northern light episodes since then, I have not heard this phenomena again despite trying. It’s real. In the early spring of 2004, I was out for a late night jog in western Montana, near a small town but not in it. The only sounds were me and my feet. At some point I looked up and noticed moving stringy green curtains of a remarkably strong aurora borealis. Before that point, I had only managed to see faint glowing of red and blue in the winter, but nothing like this. Some time later, probably within 15 minutes, I stopped jogging and walked for a while, trying to figure out the origin of a very low pitch, very rhythmic thrumming every couple of seconds. I looked up again to the north sky and although the curtains were gone, the sky was glowing strongly, more towards the farthest north than directly overhead. There were east-west bands of green moving from the north to directly overhead before disappearing, exactly in time to the thrumming. In fact, there was no delay from the beginning of a new band beginning to run and the beginning of the sound. I watched it for maybe 15 or 20 minutes like that, until I could no longer hear the sound, and the northern sky faded to a very faint glow. I made it to my dad’s house and woke him up to see- not an easy thing to do. There were still very faint traveling bands of glow still, and he did see them. I was completely skeptical of what I had thought I had heard until reading an article perhaps a few months later.

To me, they were as real as anything, and I did notice these sounds before actually noticing the bands of light or any other subconscious clue that might have contributed to a perception issue. I think what I perceived was as real as rain, but what caused it is anyone’s guess- either real sound or some sort of direct stimulation. In seeing dozens of northern light episodes since then, I have not heard this phenomena again despite trying.

]]> By: Anthropositor http://www.damninteresting.com/the-sound-of-the-aurora#comment-20461 Anthropositor Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:37:00 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=923#comment-20461 This is an interesting puzzle that relates to some other things I am familiar with. Early in the twentieth century, in the infancy of radio, there were numerous credible reports of people hearing radio broadcasts in their heads, without benefit of a receiver. One reasonable speculation, since this phenomenon was uncommon, is that it had to do perhaps with the unusual combinations or shapes of metal fillings in the teeth, resonating to the signals. And sometimes the broadcasts were also heard in the proximity of barbed wire fences, lending at least some support for the idea about fillings. It may have had something to do with some of the extremely strong signals being broadcast during this very experimental period. But perhaps, with regard to the auroral sound, some other things may be playing a part. Synesthesia is an unusual overlapping of the senses that is quite interesting, and sometimes disturbing when it happens to you. Sometimes it is interpreted as hallucination. It is not. But the second possibility does relate to hallucination. We have a strong inclination to “fill in the blanks” when our senses do not supply us with enough input to provide us with the sort of satisfyingly complete picture we wish. If we deliberately put ourselves in positions limiting the input of our senses to the maximum extent possible, while still retaining alert consciousness, we will hallucinate in very short order. This is not an entirely foolproof practice. If we observe an aurora, we are getting far less sensory input than most of us are used to. We may, without realizing it, be filling in the gaps, trying to make the picture more familiar and complex. This is an interesting puzzle that relates to some other things I am familiar with. Early in the twentieth century, in the infancy of radio, there were numerous credible reports of people hearing radio broadcasts in their heads, without benefit of a receiver. One reasonable speculation, since this phenomenon was uncommon, is that it had to do perhaps with the unusual combinations or shapes of metal fillings in the teeth, resonating to the signals.

And sometimes the broadcasts were also heard in the proximity of barbed wire fences, lending at least some support for the idea about fillings. It may have had something to do with some of the extremely strong signals being broadcast during this very experimental period.

But perhaps, with regard to the auroral sound, some other things may be playing a part. Synesthesia is an unusual overlapping of the senses that is quite interesting, and sometimes disturbing when it happens to you. Sometimes it is interpreted as hallucination. It is not.

But the second possibility does relate to hallucination. We have a strong inclination to “fill in the blanks” when our senses do not supply us with enough input to provide us with the sort of satisfyingly complete picture we wish. If we deliberately put ourselves in positions limiting the input of our senses to the maximum extent possible, while still retaining alert consciousness, we will hallucinate in very short order. This is not an entirely foolproof practice.

If we observe an aurora, we are getting far less sensory input than most of us are used to. We may, without realizing it, be filling in the gaps, trying to make the picture more familiar and complex.

]]> By: lelelouise http://www.damninteresting.com/the-sound-of-the-aurora#comment-19422 lelelouise Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:54:12 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=923#comment-19422 [quote]kittykactus said: "Wow, DI! Shall keep in mind when I next see an aurora. Maybe my glasses and expander will exacerbate my hearing."[/quote] u r so rite! [quote]kittykactus said: “Wow, DI!

Shall keep in mind when I next see an aurora.

Maybe my glasses and expander will exacerbate my hearing.”[/quote]

u r so rite!

]]> By: lelelouise http://www.damninteresting.com/the-sound-of-the-aurora#comment-19420 lelelouise Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:45:05 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=923#comment-19420 I was wondoring, what 3 good effects of gravity are there? at school we are studying science: gravity, friction, forces etc. please help me. Our techer makes us write one spelling 20 times if we get it wrong. I don't want to know what she could do if we gt a question wrong inn SCIENCE! Please help me!!! I was wondoring, what 3 good effects of gravity are there? at school we are studying science: gravity, friction, forces etc. please help me. Our techer makes us write one spelling 20 times if we get it wrong. I don’t want to know what she could do if we gt a question wrong inn SCIENCE! Please help me!!!

]]> By: Lonesome Bullet http://www.damninteresting.com/the-sound-of-the-aurora#comment-19229 Lonesome Bullet Wed, 02 Jan 2008 04:43:53 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=923#comment-19229 I heard them when I was much younger. On some clear winter nights the Northern Lights are bright enough to cast shadows on the snow and we could hear them on some, but not all Auroral nights. It was a combination of hissing and the faint tickling of tiny bells, as I remember. This was on the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada. As for the sight of a full blown display of the lights, there's been nights when we were driving somewhere, and stopped, got out of the car and watched them for half a hour. There's just something about a ban of light the width of your hand at arms length sweeping across 90 degrees of sky in a second. Fantastic. I heard them when I was much younger. On some clear winter nights the Northern Lights are bright enough to cast shadows on the snow and we could hear them on some, but not all Auroral nights. It was a combination of hissing and the faint tickling of tiny bells, as I remember. This was on the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada. As for the sight of a full blown display of the lights, there’s been nights when we were driving somewhere, and stopped, got out of the car and watched them for half a hour. There’s just something about a ban of light the width of your hand at arms length sweeping across 90 degrees of sky in a second. Fantastic.

]]> By: kittykactus http://www.damninteresting.com/the-sound-of-the-aurora#comment-19118 kittykactus Sat, 22 Dec 2007 23:15:39 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=923#comment-19118 Wow, DI! Shall keep in mind when I next see an aurora. Maybe my glasses and expander will exacerbate my hearing. Wow, DI!
Shall keep in mind when I next see an aurora.
Maybe my glasses and expander will exacerbate my hearing.

]]> By: vibration http://www.damninteresting.com/the-sound-of-the-aurora#comment-18998 vibration Sun, 16 Dec 2007 22:03:22 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=923#comment-18998 A little more details for the interested: There were four people witnessing the display, and no one else heard anything. The display was directly on top of us. Two Finnish guys, one french and one english or german girl I think. I was the only sober one at that point :) A little more details for the interested: There were four people witnessing the display, and no one else heard anything. The display was directly on top of us. Two Finnish guys, one french and one english or german girl I think. I was the only sober one at that point :)

]]> By: vibration http://www.damninteresting.com/the-sound-of-the-aurora#comment-18997 vibration Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:48:48 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=923#comment-18997 I'm a long time reader of Damn Interesting.. Interesting stuff. I've personally experienced Auroral sounds, and I've worked at the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory in Finland. I've assisted professor Unto Laine (and others), whose work Card referred earlier, in the auroral sound recording project. I'm also a sound artist and a musician. What I observed was that the sound followed the auroral display instantaneously. The sound also lacked any ambient reverberation. I own a set of high end in-ear monitors, which sound very dry and precise. The auroral sound that I heard was dryer and more precise, and it ignited inside my head. It felt like a thousand different layers of noise would have delicately acted together. It lacked higher frequencies, and wasn't white noise. Sort of an off-channel radio noise, a bit mechanical, but definitely natural. A thousand off-channel sounds distinctively together. On top of that there were these softest pops and cracks I've ever heard. Not many of them, a few (the experience lasted 3-4 seconds), but less than the rate of lightning in a VLF recording. The sound field was deep, but not very wide. I Immediately created a simulation of my experience with my synthesizers, and I'm in the process of re-acquiring this (I didn't make a copy to myself). I can make it available when I get the copy. The auroral display was exceptionally bright, and consisted of three bands in the beginning. At one point the belts fused together and the sound ignited. Immediately when the bands separated the sound ended. The appearance and disappearance of the sound followed the dynamism of the display to the detail, and had in the onset and the offset momentarily the same kind of curves. My parents are from the Finnish Lapland, and in both families there are persons who have heard auroras. Finland is at the same latitudes as Alaska, so auroras are quite common when the solar activity is peaking. I’m a long time reader of Damn Interesting.. Interesting stuff. I’ve personally experienced Auroral sounds, and I’ve worked at the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory in Finland. I’ve assisted professor Unto Laine (and others), whose work Card referred earlier, in the auroral sound recording project. I’m also a sound artist and a musician.

What I observed was that the sound followed the auroral display instantaneously. The sound also lacked any ambient reverberation. I own a set of high end in-ear monitors, which sound very dry and precise. The auroral sound that I heard was dryer and more precise, and it ignited inside my head. It felt like a thousand different layers of noise would have delicately acted together. It lacked higher frequencies, and wasn’t white noise. Sort of an off-channel radio noise, a bit mechanical, but definitely natural. A thousand off-channel sounds distinctively together. On top of that there were these softest pops and cracks I’ve ever heard. Not many of them, a few (the experience lasted 3-4 seconds), but less than the rate of lightning in a VLF recording. The sound field was deep, but not very wide. I Immediately created a simulation of my experience with my synthesizers, and I’m in the process of re-acquiring this (I didn’t make a copy to myself). I can make it available when I get the copy.

The auroral display was exceptionally bright, and consisted of three bands in the beginning. At one point the belts fused together and the sound ignited. Immediately when the bands separated the sound ended. The appearance and disappearance of the sound followed the dynamism of the display to the detail, and had in the onset and the offset momentarily the same kind of curves.

My parents are from the Finnish Lapland, and in both families there are persons who have heard auroras. Finland is at the same latitudes as Alaska, so auroras are quite common when the solar activity is peaking.

]]>