{"id":2101,"date":"2024-08-23T16:04:14","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T16:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurorasaurudev.wpengine.com\/?p=2101"},"modified":"2024-08-27T15:42:48","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T15:42:48","slug":"listening-for-the-sound-of-aurora-in-the-historical-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/?p=2101","title":{"rendered":"Listening for the sound of aurora\u2014in the historical record"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A<\/a>
Dr. Fiona Amery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A question we often get is \u201cdoes the aurora make sound?\u201d Observers sometimes note a crackling, rustling, whooshing, or similar noise when they watch aurora, but there has not been a lot of conclusive scientific study and anecdotal reports can be met with skepticism in the scientific community. In this blog post, we dive into the historical aspects of the question by summarizing the <\/span>Notes and Records (Royal Society Journal of the History of Science) <\/span><\/i>open access paper \u201c<\/span>The disputed sound of the aurora borealis<\/span><\/a>: sensing liminal noise during the First and Second International Polar Years, 1882\u20133 and 1932\u20133\u201d by aurora historian (and Aurorasaurus Ambassador) Dr. Fiona Amery of the University of Cambridge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This paper discusses the late nineteenth and early twentieth century debate as to whether the apparent sound of the aurora, recorded by residents of northern latitudes and a small number of auroral researchers alike, was imagined, illusory, or objective. For decades it was a highly contentious issue, one that divided opinion, provoked lively discussion, and puzzled those who were enthralled by the mystery (Amery 2022, p. 6).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The piece is interesting, not only in how it records the history of studying auroral sound\u2014\u201climinal\u201d here means noises on the edge of perception\u2014but in how people\u2019s bodies were used as sensors, and how collaborations between professional scientists and participatory scientists have evolved over time. At the end, we\u2019ll discuss modern participatory approaches too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Setting the Scene<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"A<\/a>
Map of First IPY research sites from International Polar Year website<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fifty years apart, two innovative, international scientific efforts called <\/span>International Polar Years<\/span><\/a> (IPYs) used a Western scientific perspective to learn more about Earth\u2019s remote Arctic and Antarctic polar regions and the meteorology, geomagnetism, atmospheric electricity, ocean currents, and aurora there. They were multidisciplinary efforts that enabled scientific research at the poles on many topics, only one of which was auroral sound, which was \u201cconsidered peripheral to the primary visual investigation of the phenomenon.\u201d (Amery 2022, p.6)<\/span><\/p>\n