Does the aurora borealis produce sound? For some, it seems it does.
This piece is my personal reproduction of the auroral sound experience I had while working as a research assistant at the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory in Finland. It reflects what I heard, an approximation unique to my perception; others might experience it differently.
In the winter of 2001, during peak auroral activity, five of us witnessed a vivid display of northern lights. Initially, three parallel belts of light appeared, which suddenly merged into one directly above us. At that moment, I perceived a sound unlike anything I had heard before.
The sound created its own space within my mind – devoid of reverberation or conventional spatial cues. The sound was dry. It resembled countless layered noises, each distinguishable, producing a sense of infinite depth yet feeling somehow confined, perhaps limited by my own perception.
Intermittently, very soft and deep pops punctuated the soundscape.
The sound’s presence fluctuated with the aurora’s movements. It ceased when the single belt split back into three. Moving my head did not alter the sound’s characteristics.
I was initially hesitant to share this experience with others. At the time, a project at SGO was collecting reports of auroral sounds, so I submitted mine. Later that night, I created a reproduction of what I heard – this piece is a refined, modern version of that.
I later came across the Frey effect (microwave auditory effect), which aligns with my experience but does not contradict my initial impression that the northern lights sound was directly induced.
The accompanying image is from Pixabay.
