Imagine hearing birds chirping… in space! 🐦🚀 That’s what scientists have just discovered more than 160,000 kilometers away from Earth!
A team of scientists led by researchers from the Chinese mainland have found mysterious sounds called “chorus waves” far beyond where we thought they could be.
So, what are these “chorus waves”? 🤔 Well, when charged particles (tiny pieces of atoms) from space zoom past Earth’s magnetic field, they create special electromagnetic waves that sound a lot like birds singing in the morning!
Lead scientist Liu Chengming from Beihang University said, “When we converted the chorus waves into sound, we heard a ‘space chorus’ that we can actually listen to!” Isn’t that amazing?
These chorus waves were believed to happen only close to Earth, near its dipole magnetic field regions. But the team, including researchers from the Chinese mainland, the United States, and Sweden, found them way farther out!
They used data from the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, which is like a space detective mission studying how the Sun and Earth interact.
But why is this important? 🤷♀️ Well, chorus waves help us understand space better. They play a big role in how high-energy particles move around Earth, which can affect things like space weather. Space weather can impact satellites, space stations, and even the safety of astronauts!
This discovery helps scientists create better models to predict space weather and keep our space explorers safe. So next time you look up at the night sky, remember that even in the silence of space, there are hidden songs waiting to be heard! 🎶✨
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
