DENMARK-Although being vital to life on Earth, the magnetic field is not something we can see or hear. However, researchers at the Technical University of Denmark have turned magnetic signals detected by ESA's Swarm satellite program into sound - and the result is very frightening for something that should protect us.
As per Space.com, the Earth's magnetic field is a complex and dynamic bubble that protects humans from cosmic radiation and charged particles carried by tremendous winds streaming from the Sun. When these particles collide with the atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, primarily oxygen and nitrogen, a portion of the energy in the impacts is turned into the green-blue light that is characteristic of the aurora borealis, which can occasionally be seen from high-northern latitudes.
While the aurora borealis serves as a visual exhibition of energized particles emanating from the Sun reacting with Earth's magnetic field, hearing the magnetic field created by Earth or its connection with solar winds is a different story.
The magnetic field is mostly formed by oceans of superheated, churning liquid iron that comprises the outer layer around 3000 km under our feet. It generates our constantly changing electromagnetic field by spinning like a conductor in a bicycle dynamo, as reported by the European Space Agency.
Gathered Data From ESA's Satellites
ESA's trio of Swarm satellites, launched in 2013, are being employed to understand how our magnetic field is created by carefully detecting magnetic signals that originate not just from Earth's core but additionally from the mantle, crust, and oceans, as well as the ionosphere as well as magnetosphere. Swarm satellites are also revealing new details about the climate in orbit.
Klaus Nielsen of the Technical University of Denmark, a musician and project backer, notes that the team gathered data from ESA's Swarm spacecraft and other databases and employed these magnetic signals to alter and control a sound depiction of the core field. The endeavor has undoubtedly been a gratifying exercise in fusing art and science.
It may sound like something out of a nightmare, but this audio clip accurately depicts the magnetic field created by Earth's core and its reaction to a solar storm, as described by the scientists.
Hear The Earth Rumbling
They have access to an intriguing sound structure consisting of around 30 loudspeakers sunk into the earth at Copenhagen's Solbjerg Square.
The scientists put it up such that each speaker symbolizes a different spot on Earth and shows how our magnetic field has varied over the last 100,000 years.
The rumble of Earth's magnetic field is followed by a simulation of a geomagnetic storm caused by a solar flare on 3 November 2011, and it does sound rather ominous. The sole purpose of the study is not to scare people; rather, it is a whimsical method of reminding humans that the magnetic field exists and that, while its rumbling might be unsettling, life on Earth depends on it, following Business Insider's report.
On October 24-30, at 08:00, 13:00, and 19:00, loudspeakers at Solbjerg Square in Copenhagen, Denmark, will broadcast the rumbling of the Earth's magnetic field.
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