The ‘Sounds’ of Space as NASA’s Cassini Dives by Saturn
Samer Haddad
Turning radio data from Saturn's rings into sound reveals a surprisingly quiet gap.
Space is silent, but spacecraft instruments record radio and plasma waves that can be turned into sound.
As a probe dived between Saturn and its rings, scientists expected a storm of dust hits. Instead the audio went almost quiet, revealing that the gap was emptier than predicted.
Listening to data is not just a gimmick: our ears can pick up patterns that are hard to spot in charts.