Futility Closet

Auroral Sounds

Posted in Oddities by Greg Ross on October 31st, 2006

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Polarlicht_2.jpg

Ever since ancient Rome, people have reported hearing the aurora borealis. It's been described as a crackling, hissing, buzzing, or whistling.

Modern science can't explain such sounds (yet), and so far no one's managed to record them, so for now the jury's still out.