ESA’s Rosetta mission : The strange and enigmatic sounds from space

Rosetta was launched on 2 March 2004 and travelled 6.4 billion kilometres through the Solar System before arriving at the comet on 6 August 2014. 

While the Philae probe performs the landing on the surface of the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko 67P, a a mysterious sound was picked up by an instrument designed to analyse 67P's magnetic field. The scientists believe was created by a stream of electrically-charged particles. 

This is a sound emitted between the frequencies of 40 and 50 000 Hz (the human ear is able to capture only the sounds between 20 and 20 000 Hz).

"This is very exciting because it is completely new to us. We did not expect this and we are now working to understand the physics of the phenomenon, "said the project's principal investigator, Karl-Heinz Glassmeier. 

Do not miss listen to the strange and enigmatic sounds from space. Prepare your self!

   

Rosetta is an ESA mission with contributions from its Member States and NASA. 

Rosetta’s Philae lander is provided by a consortium led by DLR, MPS, CNES and ASI. Rosetta is the first mission in history to rendez-vous with a comet. 

It is escorting the comet as they orbit the Sun together, and has deployed a lander to its surface.Comets are time capsules containing primitive material left over from the epoch when the Sun and its planets formed. 

By studying the gas, dust and structure of the nucleus and organic materials associated with the comet, via both remote and in situ observations, the Rosetta mission should become the key to unlocking the history and evolution of our Solar System.

 

Photo by : ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

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