Rosetta\u2019s Plasma Consortium (RPC) has uncovered a mysterious \u2018song\u2019 that Comet 67P\/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is singing into space. RPC principal investigator Karl-Heinz Gla\u00dfmeier, head of Space Physics and Space Sensorics at the Technische Universit\u00e4t Braunschweig, Germany, tells us more.<\/p>\n
Sound_comet2
\nArtist’s impression of the ‘singing comet’ 67P\/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Credit: ESA\/Rosetta\/NavCam
\nRPC consists of five instruments on the Rosetta orbiter that provide a wide variety of complementary information about the plasma environment surrounding Comet 67P\/C-G. (Reminder: Plasma is the fourth state of matter, an electrically conductive gas that can carry magnetic fields and electrical currents.)<\/p>\n
The instruments are designed to study a number of phenomena, including: the interaction of 67P\/C-G with the solar wind, a continuous stream of plasma emitted by the Sun; changes of activity on the comet; the structure and dynamics of the comet\u2019s tenuous plasma \u2018atmosphere\u2019, known as the coma; and the physical properties of the cometary nucleus and surface.<\/p>\n
But one observation has taken the RPC scientists somewhat by surprise. The comet seems to be emitting a \u2018song\u2019 in the form of oscillations in the magnetic field in the comet\u2019s environment. It is being sung at 40-50 millihertz, far below human hearing, which typically picks up sound between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. To make the music audible to the human ear, the frequencies have been increased by a factor of about 10,000.<\/p>\n
The music was heard clearly by the magnetometer experiment (RPC-Mag) for the first time in August, when Rosetta drew to within 100 km of 67P\/C-G. The scientists think it must be produced in some way by the activity of the comet, as it releases neutral particles into space where they become electrically charged due to a process called ionisation. But the precise physical mechanism behind the oscillations remains a mystery.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is exciting because it is completely new to us. We did not expect this and we are still working to understand the physics of what is happening,\u201d says Karl-Heinz.<\/p>\n
RPC may also be able to help in tracking Philae\u2019s descent to the surface of 67P\/C-G on 12 November, in tandem with the lander\u2019s on-board magnetometer, ROMAP .<\/p>\n
The contributing institutions to these instruments are:
\nRPC: Institutet f\u00f6r rymdfysik (IRF), Uppsala, Sweden; Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), USA; Institut f\u00fcr Geophysik und Extraterrestrische Physik, Technische Universit\u00e4t Braunschweig, Germany; Laboratoire de physique et chimie de l’environnement et de l’espace (LPC2E), Universit\u00e9 d’Orl\u00e9ans, France, and Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
\nRPC-Mag: Institut f\u00fcr Geophysik und Extraterrestrische Physik, Technische Universit\u00e4t Braunschweig, Germany; Imperial College London, United Kingdom; Space Research Institute Graz, Austria<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And here is the song:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/esaops\/a-singing-comet<\/p>\n
And here is the alternate Have you heard the comet singing? From the Rosetta Blog this press release: Rosetta\u2019s Plasma Consortium (RPC) has uncovered a mysterious \u2018song\u2019 that Comet 67P\/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is singing into space. RPC principal investigator Karl-Heinz Gla\u00dfmeier, head of Space Physics and Space Sensorics at the Technische Universit\u00e4t Braunschweig, Germany, tells us more. Sound_comet2 Artist’s impression of the … Continue reading The Comet. It Sings!<\/span> ![\"predator-4\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblogs.com\/gregladen\/files\/2014\/11\/predator-4.jpg\")
<\/a> hypothesis for what is making this sound:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"