The Sounds of Mars, Venus and Titan –
Symphonic Orchestras of the Stars
Source: University of Southampton press release
Despite many years of space exploration, we have no evidence of the sound of other planets.
Many years of space exploration, in huge diversity of forms has taken place but in all that time, and despite all the technology available to us no-one, ever, has heard the “sound of another world.”
“Hearing the sounds communicates ideas about the different atmospheres and highlights the sheer alienness of the other worlds in our solar system.”
~Dr. Jenny Shipway, Planetarium Manager at INTECH
Venutian lightning, Martian whirlwinds, Titan’s (Saturn’s largest satellite-moon) icy volcanoes – the natural sounds of other worlds all from the utilisation of maths and physics! Proving that there really is a valid point and reason to our enduring long and torturous maths classes and endless hours spent in the school physics lab!
A Southampton University team led by Professor Tim Leighton of the University’s Institute for Sound and Vibration Research have, using unique transforming software been able to model the sound of a human voice on Earth to one on another world/alien planet.
Mars, Venus and Titan all have very different and varied temperatures, atmospheres and pressures. These factors all play a valid role in affecting how the human vocals sound in different off-worldly environments.
“We are confident of our calculations; we have been rigorous in our use of physics taking into account atmospheres, pressure and fluid dynamics.” ~ Professor Leighton
“On Venus, the pitch of your voice would become much deeper. That is because the planet’s dense atmosphere means that the vocal cords vibrate more slowly through this ‘gassy soup’. However, the speed of sound in the atmosphere on Venus is much faster than it is on Earth, and this tricks the way our brain interprets the size of a speaker (presumably an evolutionary trait that allowed our ancestors to work out whether an animal call in the night was something that was small enough to eat or so big as to be dangerous). When we hear a voice from Venus, we think the speaker is small, but with a deep bass voice. On Venus, humans sound like bass Smurfs.” ~ Professor Leighton
The latest research has led to the capturing of the sound of the Martian and Venutian atmospheres – extending the science further and also adding to the portfolio, the sounds of Martian thunder and dust storms, Venutian thunder, and the sound of thunder on Titan and of it’s ice cold cryo-volcanoes.
~ Research conducted by MSc students Nikhil Banda and Benoit Berges working with Professors Leighton and White
Professor Leighton and Dr. Andi Petculescu at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette have also investigated in detail how musical instruments accompanied by human singing would sound if conducted in an alien planet environment. In the future, if mankind is able to create Martian settlements they might well decide to take the “sounds of Earth” with them in the form of music and instruments or maybe design something new during their time on Mars. Perhaps even creating a galactic orchestra with Martian symphonies! It would be interesting to hear how they would sound and be affected by such an extreme environment. The song of the stars!
There is also another sound not heard before on Mars… Chickens It is worth noting that the Galactic Olympic Stadium on Olympic Host World, Mars has currently been converted into a “Super Chicken Coop”… They have since been eaten…by Clowie the Pyrenean Mountain Dog so there is only one left….
“Chicken on Mars Song” provides the sounds of the one remaining chicken on Mars (There were a lot more before Clowie arrived
) This Martian Chicken is also clear evidence that there is indeed life on Mars!
Do you know, Icewolf, I have never considered the fact that we sound differently on different worlds… I wonder though, if we all sound like smurfs together, would we actually sound different to each other when we’re chatting on Titan? We’d still be understanding each other! It’s a bit like that question, if a tree falls in the woods and no-one is around, would it make a sound? Interesting stuff!
I love that dancing singing chicken song… I was bopping along with the beat, willing for the chicken to come back in shot!
Mind bending questions there Aquatom! I’ll be thinking about the tree question all night now! I’m not actually sure what a smurf sounds like but I presume there’d be some slight variations as with Earth speech…I wonder how many of us there would be on Titan?! Could get very noisy 😉 I too was bopping along to the chicken song! I thought it was very cool 🙂 Shame Clowie was so greedy that she ate all the other ones!!.
Interesting post Wolfie, never thought about it before, but surely if you are in an earth environment as you would not be breathing the atmosphere of other planets you will sound the same. A rather pointless study I would think. lol (I am sure your Wolf song on Europa is as beautiful as here)
My Wolf song is far more beautiful on Europa! My vocal chords were not designed to cope with the big, thick, soupy atmosphere of Earth! A pointless study? Pointless!! lol…how cheeky 😀 I guess you do have a point albeit a rather negative point lol but it would be interesting to learn how the human voice would sound when exposed to alien atmospheres don’t you think? As with the sound of the lightning, ice volcanoes and whirlwinds on other worlds it “communicates ideas about the different atmospheres and highlights the sheer alienness of the other worlds in our solar system.”
Very, very interesting point. Why has no one recorded the sound. Would be truly fascinating and surely not difficult for them to do. Silly space explorers. That chicken video is too funny. Oh dear, bad Clowie – how could you eat the chickens? 😀
Clowie would say Wolfie ate the chickens lol 😉 But she is very cheeky like that and she knows it was her really! She is very fond of her chickens lol 😀 I thought the chicken vid’ was awesome, I laughed my Wolfie socks off watching it…I’m just surprised that gnawti Clowie didn’t turn up on it too hoping to eat the last of the Martian Chickens!!
I suppose you didn’t eat any chickens?
As if I would do a thing like that Clowie! You know how well behaved and controlled I am like that 😀
I also know how much you like chicken!
Well…lol…maybe just a little, tiny smidgling of a like 😀 The sweet aroma of Martian chicken….chicken…chicken…oops! SLLuuRRP….Oh dear…! Gnawti, gnawti Clowie! 😉
Oh yes!!
So glad we understand each other!!
Yes, knowing Clowie, I’m equally surprised that last Martian Chicken still survives. Had such a good laugh at your post. I so look forward to them. There truly is nothing else out there quite like yours.
Yes….Clowie does have rather a large appetite for Martian Chickens 😉 I on the other paw would never dream of eating chicken…chicken…chicken….chicken…slUUrrrrP…slOOObbbEEErrrrr….lol….drOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!! 🙂 Great to know you enjoy these posts…I feel the same way about your awesome blog, I think we share a similar sense of humour 🙂
Definitely seems we do. No stop eating those chickens – there’s only one left for heavens sake!
I know…but Clowie said they were so fat and tasty…she said I should try one too! 😉
I didn’t eat all the chickens! I had quite a lot of help from a certain wolf.
No you didn’t!! You’d never catch me indulging in such gnawtiness! 😉
I will look at the Dancing Chicken soon but first
how about we get a group of volunteers together
jump into our Spacesuits and blast off to Venus,
I mean if we humans sound like Bass Smurfs, I
wonder what the Aliens will sound like on Earth?
Don’t worry I will throw in a fresh supply of wine
gums and a chocolate pancake surprise if you are
in the mood for it 🙂 Noooo I mean in the mood for
orbiting Venus and listening to the sounds of Alien
belches and far… Far off in the distance we might
even hear some of your cousins singing a Wolfie
song or ten 🙂
Okay seriously now Icywolfy, this is a great post
on something that I have not even heard of before
and thank you for adding so many brilliant graphics
they are truly wicked my great friend 🙂 🙂
Have a lovely rest of evening and I hope that your
Internet signal is much stronger than before 🙂 🙂
Andro xxx
But of course Androgoth…I am always in the mood for it :D… blasting off to Venus gnawti goth! It’ll be pretty hot and steamy there though…oh do behave yourself Sir Andro! 😉 😀 I meant you won’t need the thermal undies, it won’t be like winter on Earth! The vid is worth a quick look, even if you only watch a little bit, it’s very clever and it really is funny 😉 My i-net is cool on here tonight 🙂 BUT it seems to be incapable of loading twitter tonight for some reason and that IS a problem…must be as a result of your great gnawtiness 😉 lol … 😀
I think there’s something wrong too 😦 lmao
A Dancing and Pecking
Chicken Video, Whatever Next? 🙂 lol
Andro xxx
A dancing and pecking MARTIAN chicken no less! lol 🙂 There’s another version of it using the NASA footage supposedly associated with the presence of a chicken on Mars. This one was the response to it 🙂
Yes I noticed that when the video was playing and I will be back later to take a look at that one, of course I could watch it on the Youtube site too 🙂
I hope you are enjoying a wicked evening Icywolfy 😉
Andro xxx
By all means watch it directly from YouTube 🙂 Usually the best place to view things 🙂 I posted it on the page with the other one but it played continuously without my doing anything which got irritating, so I took it out before it drove me mad! Hope you’re keeping warm on this cold and wintry night 🙂
I think it would be very interesting to hear myself bark on different planets. I was too busy on Mars to bark, plus I didn’t want to frighten the chickens.
The sound of your bark on different planets would be far more interesting than the chatter of bipeds Clowie. Perhaps we should contact NASA and suggest this to them 🙂 I know you were busy on Mars…that’s why there’s only one chicken left there! And the rest didn’t have time to be frightened before you ate them did they?!! 😀 😉
I think it would be very interesting to hear my barking and your howling! We might have to do something about that last chicken – they make such a silly noise, it might be distracting!
Oh yeah! We’d be famous! Our very own symphonic orchestra on Mars 🙂 This is an excellent idea Clowie! And you’re quite right…we don’t need that chicken distracting from our other-worldly duet…what do you think?…EAT IT?!!!! HooOOOOoooooWWWWWLLLLLLooooooooooLLLLL!!!!! 😉 😀
Sehr interessanter Beitrag liebe liebe Freundin und schöne Fotos ich habe dem Klang des Wolf es gelauscht, und wenn Wölfe heulen hört sich das Toll an.Wünsche dir eine schöne glückliche Woche und liebe Grüsse der Freundschaft Gislinde.
Danke mein großer Freund Gislinde
Ja, der Sound der Wolf heult ist wunderbar!
Sehr gut zu wissen, dass Sie gut aufgepasst es 😉
Jetzt denke ich, es ist Zeit, einen Blog 🙂 besuchen
Wolfie Umarmungen!
Didn’t give this aspect of life much thought until this article of yours Wolfie. Sound does change quality when it’s pressure is adjusted. So very true. So why wouldn’t it happen with voice or animal sounds on other planets? What a thought!
It could do fascinating things to the dulcit tones of my howl don’t you think? lol 😉
Having worked in a Seance room and knowing the difficulties those from those higher realms have in producing sound through a voice box made of ectoplasm those in the world of spirit say its like talking with your face in a bowl of jelly as they try to bring their vibration lower to our density.. Sound is of a much higher frequency so we do not always hear it.. and yet it can be capture on the old fashioned taped recorders and when slowed down to a slower speed voices can be heard…
So the fact that Planets creates sound does not surprise me.. ” In the begging was the Word.. and the word was with God..— Word being Sound.. We are ALL of us Vibration and we resonate within scales which can be found in music scales, I have read many articles on Sound and Healing and how the frequencies resonate…
I really enjoyed this post Wolfie, and just wish people would listen more to the sounds this Earth Mother makes … for she speaks…
Love to you my fine furry friend.. xxx Dreamwalker
That was a very interesting angle on the subject Dreamwalker 🙂 Thank you for your knowledgable comment. Hmm..as with “silent” dog whistles pitched at a frequency they can hear but which is too high for human ears to hear perhaps there is a risk that in certain planetary atmospheres the sound frequency would be pitched too high for us to hear the sound of our own voices on particular worlds…that could be problematic for communication! Wolfie hugs xx
I think we could bring a copy of Jean Michel Jarre’s Zoolook to the Martian Chicken. Fab post, Wolfie.
Red.
Hi Red thanks for stopping by 🙂 Just looked up Zoolook…I think, lol that the Martian Chicken would have a great time with that!! Always assuming that Clowie the Pyrenean Mountain Dog doesn’t eat it first 😉 I would NEVER dream of doing such a thing of course! 😀
Interesting post Timid one, made me think of that squeaky sound we make when inhaling that Noble gas helium. Sue hit the nail on the head… “resonance ” 🙂
I would like to hear the sound of my howl after inhaling helium! 😀
Wünsche dir von Herzen ein schönes glückliches weekend und alles liebe und gute Gruss und Freundschaft Gislinde
Und ich wünsche Ihnen einen entspannten und erholsamen Wochenende und fröhliche Grüße aus Wolfie 🙂
Have a lovely start to your weekend Icywolfy and
if you are on another early start don’t be working
too hard or else? 🙂
Okay pop the kettle on it is
your turn to make the coffees 😉
Andro xxx
Kettle’s on 😉 Yes it was another early start…pitch black out there! I’m sure it was the middle of the night still 😉 And how thoughtful of you to remember that little detail and to spare a Vampy thought for Icewolfie’s plight! I would not have expected you to remember and it is very nice and much appreciated that you did thank you 🙂 Now slurp up the coffee before it gets cold! 😀
Thank you it was delicious 🙂
That cherry pie in the fridge was
mine wasn’t it Icywolfy? 🙂 Mmm
Have a lovely rest of the evening 🙂
Andro xxx
It obviously is now you gluttonous Vamp! 😀 I’m so glad you enjoyed pinching…devouring it so speedily…I notice there isn’t even a crumb left and the plate has been licked spotlessly clean 🙂 What a gannet….erm…refreshingly hungry Vampy 😉 Now Icewolfie…where did you leave that garlic Vampy Repellent…. 😀
Don’t worry Vampires don’t start biting until after midnight, well unless there is any more of that scrumptious pie, and then biting just comes naturally 🙂 lol I love juicy cherries you know? 😉
Andro xxx
Oh Cherrio 😉 I can well imagine the relationship you have with juicy cherries Vampy Andro! I take it that if there aren’t any of those scrummy pies nestling happily in my icy fridge for you to sink your glinting fangs into and a plentiful helping of juicy red cherries that I am at risk of said fangs sinking into my red-blooded Icewolfie neck instead…oh well…fangs are fangs 😉 Bite away 😀 Oops! I meant I’ll just get the oven on and prep’ a bakers dozen of pies…immediately and without further delay!!! 😉
Yes well I know that cherries are part of the fruitiness in pies but your Icywolfy fruitiness is overflowing this evening and it is nowhere near midnight yet either, hmm I wonder how fruity it can get around here of an evening? 😉 And I meant with all that baking going on, not what you were thinking 🙂 lol
Andro xxx
Hmm! I am on your blog page at this moment…I think it could be your fruitiness overflowing and that you are mistaken in your thinking that it might have been mine 😉 Do put those fangs away! It’s not midnight yet and the pies are in the oven 😀 Though I suppose your rapid consumption of those will only serve to make you even fruitier than usual…if that is possible!! 😀
Me Fruity? 🙂 Hey lol
Actually I like custard
with my pies so maybe
you can whip some up
for me? 🙂
I will hide my fangs out of sight
I don’t want to be scaring you off 😦
Andro xxx
Whips and fangs and fruity pies…baking pies has never been such a fruitful occupation! Oh really fruity Andro! What sort of comment was that for you to be coming out with when I was just about to whip up the smoothest, hottest custard you have yet seen? lol 😉 It’s all lumpy now! And stop dipping your finger in it or you won’t be getting any at all 😀 …gnawti gnawti vamp’s…. 😉
How do you mean I won’t be getting any? 🙂 lol And you say that I am naughty, well pull up a chair it’s cherry pie and custard time 🙂 Mmmmmmm I cannot wait, oooooh I do hope there is seconds 😉 lol
Andro xxx
Whether you get seconds or not depends on how good you are on the first course 😉 lol Your naughtiness knows no bounds so it will likely as not be necessary to indulge in several courses of cherry pie and custard before you realise what you actually wanted was whipped cream with your cherry pie 😀 Now…who gets to have the first bite of that steaming hot cherry pie…Oh Wolfie Howls! What big fangs you have Sir Gothic Andro! First nibble to you I think 😉 lol 🙂
Trust you to mention cream with your pie, how greedily naughty of you Icywolfy, of course I will stick to having lots of custard and at least three cherry slices 🙂 Mmmmm lovely 😉
Andro xxx
I was talking about cream tea!
Yes I know 🙂 😉
Andro xxx
😀 😉
I thought that I would just call in
and see how the cherry pies are
doing 🙂 Mind you as it is midnight
and the fangs are sharper than
ever, I might decide on something
else to get my teeth into 🙂 lol
You do have chocolate
fudge milkshakes and a few
toasted marshmallows? 🙂
I hope 🙂
Andro xxx
Ouch!! My Icewolfie paw is not a toasted marshmallow! I know you fancied a bite to eat…lol 😉 … but the toasted marshmallows are over there >>>> 🙂
The fudge milkshakes are…Ouch!!! Oooh! Wolfie Vampires! NOT in my Icewolfie neck! lol 😉 They are over the here <<<< … yes! By the side of the comment box chilling nicely in the fridge 😀
Ow! I didn't say get your teeth into my Icewolfie tail on the way over there did I?! Fleas and fangs! 😉 😀
Benim sevgili ve güzel Buz arkadaşım 🙂
Harika sözlerin için çok teşekkürler
evet her zaman özel bir kalp 🙂
çok kucak dolusu sevgiler size
Sen çok güzel bir kalp benim harika arkadaşım Seçil var
Ve sevgi dolu kalp
yansıtılır blogunuza 🙂
Sen çok sevgili ve özel kişi vardır!
Buz sarılmak 🙂
Hallo liebe kleine Wölfe wünsche dir eine gute und schöne Woche,ich hoffe bei euch liegt nicht so viel Schnee,grüsse und Freundschaft Gislinde.
Hallo liebe Gislinde 🙂
Wolves Grüße aus der Welt von Eis!
Kein Schnee noch, nur ein Morgen und wieder weg
Aber es ist sehr kalt
meine Pfoten haben Erfrierungen!
Hoffe, Sie haben einen schönen Dienstag … Wolfie Liebe und Umarmungen 🙂
Have a wonderful Tuesday Icywolfy 🙂 🙂
Andro xxx