We don't usually think of an orbiting X-ray telescope as an instrument for
detecting natural sound, but it can happen. The lead article in the latest (13
Sep 2003) issue of Science News (see www.sciencenews.org) reports that
astronomers at the University of Cambridge in England, using observations made
by the orbiting Chandra X-ray telescope, have detected sounds being emitted by
a black hole. This sound is described as a B-flat which is 57 octaves below
middle C. Furthermore the sound is loud -- equivalent to the energy of
100,000,000 supernova explosions!
It boggles the mind, but there are natural sounds just about everywhere, it
seems. I wonder if anyone has a downloadable recording of this sound (raised up
a few dozen octaves into the human hearing range, of course).
Robin Carter
Columbia, SC
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