Auroral Sounds

One of the elusive mysteries of the aurora is the question of auroral sound. So far, no person has made a truly comprehensive investigation of this problem or managed to record sounds in the audio range that could be associated with the northern lights. Yet many northerners have received the sensation of sound while observing bright, fast-moving auroras overhead. When something moves rapidly, one is inclined to think it should make a noise. That idea might explain some observations. But there are reported instances of people hearing the sounds before becoming aware of the aurora overhead.

People who are used to listening to the sounds of the wilderness away from the noisy background of urban living are most likely to have heard aurorally associated sound usually described as a rustling or crackling noise. Also, women and young people tend to report the sounds more often than older people or men. This tendency suggests that the auroral noise may be at the high-frequency end of the human hearing range. Men and older people tend to have comparatively poor hearing at high frequencies.

Winter's darkness is the time for viewing and listening to auroras. At the Geophysical Institute, we are interested in collecting reports of auroral sounds. It is important to note the time of the observation, the appearance of the aurora, the weather conditions and any other factors that might help unravel the mystery of what auroral sounds are. It is fairly certain that the sound cannot be generated within the aurora itself and propagated to the hearer. A more likely explanation is that the sound is generated at or near the ground by electrical phenomena associated with the aurora. Also, it is possible that there are no sound waves as such, but that the sensation of sound is produced inside the hearer's head by physical or psychological processes.

Whatever the answer, we need to find out. We might learn more both about the aurora and how our minds and bodies work.