Buzz
A well-known saying goes, 'In space, no one can hear you scream.' This is true, as it has nothing to do with the scream itself but with the absence of a medium for sound to travel through. In space, an explosion could happen right next to you, and you wouldn't even notice unless you saw the flash or debris flying towards you.
The lack of a medium in space also means we can't hear the sounds of any celestial objects moving through it. Fortunately, sound can be captured as mechanical waves, which we can convert into audible sound. This is how we've recorded the sounds of planets, moons, comets, and stars. So, get ready to be amazed – don’t forget your headphones!
10. The Sun
It's probably a good thing we can't hear the sun. If we could, we would experience a deep, low hum that quickly grows bothersome and might even give us a headache if it persisted. (At least, that's how it felt for me.)
Thanks to NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), we now know the sound of the sun. The agencies worked together to record the frequency of waves produced by the materials moving on the sun. The data was sent to Stanford University’s Experimental Physics Lab, which converted it into the sound you can hear in the video.
9. Jupiter’s Aurora
On August 27, 2016, NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured the eerie sound of the aurora near one of Jupiter’s poles. This sound is likely the creepiest one on the list, resembling the soundtrack of a Halloween movie. This is no surprise to astronomers, as Jupiter’s auroras contain the most powerful energetic particles in our solar system.
It's hard to truly describe this sound, but if I had to, I’d say it starts as a screeching noise, which quickly turns into something unsettling, ghostly, and spooky – almost like an enraged witch screaming. You should give the video a watch and see what you think of it. (The audio begins at 00:27).
8. Saturn and Enceladus
On September 2, 2017, NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured the sound of plasma waves leaving Saturn and making their way toward its rings and moon, Enceladus. While the sound isn't as eerie as Jupiter's aurora, it's still quite challenging to describe.
If I had to explain it, I'd say it starts with a low-pitched tone, similar to a musical instrument, perhaps a strange kind of drum. Soon, it's overtaken by a rushing sound and a howling gust of wind that resembles the roar of an airplane flying through a cloudy sky.
7. Comet 67P
Comet 67P (also known as Churyumov-Gerasimenko) is called the 'singing comet' because it produces a strange clicking sound, much like the noise made by dolphins. In the video, the comet creates a haunting sound that might be confused with the sound of Earth's wind, but layered with repetitive clicks.
Scientists believe that the sound of 67P is caused by the vibrating plasma in its magnetic field. However, it is unique because it differs from the sounds of other comets. For now, scientists are closely monitoring the comet to see whether it will continue to produce the same sound as it gets closer to the sun or if it will change like other comets do. Only time will reveal this.
6. Mars
On November 26, 2018, NASA's InSight lander successfully touched down on Mars. Just a few days later, on December 1, it recorded the sound of the Martian wind. Starting at 00:35, the sound creates a soothing, low-pitched tone that vibrates your ears when listened to with headphones (which NASA recommends).
Fortunately, NASA also made sure those without headphones could enjoy the sound. They created an edited version with a higher pitch, starting at 00:56. The video also includes a third sound captured by a second instrument on the lander, beginning at 1:10. This sound has been sped up by 100 times, making it sound similar to a gust of wind on Earth.
5. The Dark Side of the Moon
Before we dive in, it's important to note that the moon has two sides: the bright near side, which always faces Earth, and the dark far side, which is only visible to someone or a spacecraft orbiting the moon.
In 1969, astronauts aboard the Apollo 10 mission, which took place three months before Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 mission, recorded the sounds of the far side of the moon as they orbited it. The eerie sound, starting at 00:25 in the video, was described by the astronauts as a strange 'Whooooooooo' – unlike anything they had ever encountered.
As shown in the video, the astronauts recorded the sound instead of relaying it to NASA immediately, as they were unable to communicate with NASA from the far side of the moon. At one point, they even considered keeping the recording secret, fearing that NASA might think they were fabricating the sound and possibly exclude them from future missions. Ultimately, they handed the recording over to NASA, which released it to the public in 2008.
There is still ongoing debate about the true origin of the sound. According to the video, one NASA engineer believes the noise was caused by radio interference. However, astronaut Al Worden from Apollo 15 is convinced that the sound was produced by some unknown creature or object on the moon. As he put it, 'If there was something recorded on there, then there was something there.'
4. Jupiter’s Ionosphere
We’ve already discussed the sound produced by Jupiter’s aurora, but as we can see (and hear), the aurora isn’t the only source of sound on the gas giant. Its ionosphere – where its atmosphere meets space – produces sounds as well.
NASA's Juno spacecraft captured the sound as it neared Jupiter on February 20, 2017. It's important to note, however, that the sound wasn’t produced by the ionosphere itself, but rather by Jupiter’s magnetic field deflecting charged solar winds from the Sun.
Describing this sound is quite challenging. It’s creepy in the typical Jupiter fashion, though not as unsettling or ghostly as the aurora. As Cnet put it, it resembles 'an old modem from the early 1990s, if it were a little drunk and handshaking with a BBS hosted by the local haunted house.'
3. Earth
As we discussed with Ganymede, every planet has its own magnetosphere, and Earth is no exception. Earth’s magnetosphere contains two rings of plasma known as the Van Allen Radiation Belts. While the sound of the radiation belt is inaudible to human ears, we can detect it using specialized instruments.
A few years ago, NASA launched space probes to capture the sound. The recording, which starts at 0:30 and 1:10 (if you want to skip the narrator’s voice), is often described as something akin to the noises made by flocks of birds early in the morning. This sound was aptly named 'chorus.'
2. Uranus
Uranus and Neptune are among the quieter gas giants, especially when compared to Jupiter and Saturn, which are much noisier. That said, noise is subjective when it comes to gas giants. These planets are made up of gases and fluids, with no land to speak of. So, if you ever find yourself on one, expect to hear constant wind-like sounds.
The sound of Uranus, as captured in the video, is unsettling—a howling noise that alternates between being cold, eerie, and disturbing one moment, and calm, solitary, and almost comforting the next. In other words, the sound fluctuates between the winds you might hear on a particularly stormy day on Earth and the ominous creaking you'd expect when a ghost is about to appear behind you while you’re reading this list on Mytour.
1. Ganymede
Ganymede, the largest moon in our solar system, is so large that if it didn’t orbit Jupiter, it could have been classified as a planet.
Like everything related to Jupiter, Ganymede also has its own eerie sounds. The sound we're referring to here is produced by its magnetosphere, which is the region of its atmosphere that shields it from the powerful magnetic field of a larger astronomical body. In Ganymede's case, that body is Jupiter.
This is particularly fascinating because only planets possess magnetospheres, making Ganymede the only moon in our solar system with one. It is also the only magnetosphere located within another magnetosphere.
NASA’s Galileo spacecraft captured the sound of Ganymede’s magnetosphere during flybys on June 27 and September 6, 1996. Though the sound is tricky to describe, it starts off fairly normal before taking a chilling turn at 00:16. From there, it continues with other strange sounds that defy easy explanation.
