US Space Agency NASA, in a recent video, has released an eerie sound that was captured by its Cassini spacecraft last year during its mission around the solar system's second largest planet, Saturn. The otherworldly sound has been converted from a recording of the interaction of plasma waves between the planet and its moon Enceladus, in a research led by physicist and RPWS Principal Investigator Bill Kurth, at the University of Iowa. The result, as one can listen to, hints at a powerful and dynamic interaction of plasma waves between the two celestial bodies.
What is this sound?
NASA's Cassini spacecraft had recorded the plasma wave interplay between Saturn, its moon Enceladus as well as the Saturn's rings through Radio Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) instrument on board. The recording was made on September 2 last year as Cassini prepared for its final plunge into the planet's atmosphere within a couple of weeks of recording the wave play.
During the research, the recording was converted into an audio file, with the total recording time being compressed to 28.5 seconds from its original 16 minutes. The process used for the conversion was similar to how electromagnetic waves are converted to music within a radio.
Its Significance
Through these findings, it has been observed for the first time that magnetic field lines connect Saturn directly to Enceladus, essentially acting as an electrical circuit between the two bodies and that waves travel on these lines just like energy flowing in the electrical circuit. Similar interactions also take place between Saturn and its rings.
The Earth and its Moon, however, do not interact in the same way.
Here is the audio that planetary scientists at the University of Iowa have deducted from Cassini's recordings:
Comments
0 comment