The Musical Universe-The Rhythm of the Sun
“Nothing happens until something moves.” Albert Einstein
First came time! This is the second installment in my blog series “The Musical Universe.” The first installment covered pitches emanating from black holes. This second installment will discuss the rhythm of our own Sun. Astronomical scientists have gained some amazing data from the space probe Ulysses. They have been able to prove that sounds coming from deep inside the Sun cause the Earth to vibrate in sympathy. These vibrations affect many terrestrial systems, in addition to influencing the biological clocks of many plant species. Here is a quote from the website of the European Space Agency:
“Scientists from the Ulysses mission have proven that sounds generated deep inside the Sun cause the Earth to shake and vibrate in sympathy. They have found that Earth’s magnetic field, atmosphere and terrestrial systems, all take part in this cosmic sing-along. David Thomson and Louis Lanzerotti, team members of the HISCALE experiment, on board Ulysses, together with colleagues Frank Vernon, Marc Lessard and Lindsay Smith, present evidence that proves that Earth moves to the rhythm of the Sun. They show that distinct, isolated tones, predicted to be generated by pressure and gravity waves in the Sun, are present in a wide variety of terrestrial systems. Using highly sophisticated statistical techniques, Thomson and colleagues have discovered these same, distinct tones emitted by the Sun, in seismic data here on Earth. They have also found that Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere, and even voltages induced on ocean cables, are all taking part in this cosmic sing-along.Although these tones are all around us, it would not be possible for us to hear them, even if we listened very closely. Their pitch is too low for the human ear, typically 100-5000 microHertz (1 microHertz corresponds to 1 vibration every 278 hours). This is more than 12 octaves below the lowest note audible to humans. For comparison, the note to which orchestras tune their instruments (A above Middle C on a piano) corresponds to 440 Hertz”.
Back in 2000, scientists made another interesting discovery related to solar rhythm. They found a solar heartbeat that was connected to a 16 month cycle deep inside the Sun. The scientists believe that this rhythm is related to and influences the 11 year Solar cycle. For more information on the heartbeat of the Sun click here.
Being a musician myself, I rather leave the particulars to the scientists. However, I do think the larger concept here is extremely interesting, especially for people who make music. The Sun is beating like a metronome and the Earth is reacting to it. The celestial dance continues as we fly through the Milky Way. Every time a string player draws a bow or a wind player blows through their instrument, it creates motion and in turn vibration. When musicians gather together and play in ensemble, it is a microcosm of the Universe. Just the word Universe, means one song (uni-verse). How wonderful to think that the music and concerts we play are a small representation of this galactic polyphony. No wonder for thousands of years, human beings have celebrated the Sun in all of its glory, beating drums and singing songs. Perhaps on some level, these rhythms even penetrate our own consciousness.
For more information on the solar cycle click here. To check in with the status of the Ulysses mission you can visit Nasa’s website here.
Add comment March 21st, 2008
