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Scientists record the sounds of the Sun

Sun's Sounds - Level 0

Have you thought about how the Sun sounds? Scientists studied 20 years of data to try to find out. They said the Sun sounds like a deep "heartbeat". The scientists looked at vibrations from the Sun. They will use these to understand more about what happens inside the Sun.

Researchers used data from space agencies to make a "song". A researcher said: "We don't have straightforward ways to look inside the Sun." He said the Sun's vibrations let us see inside the Sun. Waves move around inside the Sun. Our eyes could see this one day. A professor said the Sun was, "a pretty cool thing".

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Sun's Sounds - Level 1

Have you thought about what the Sun sounds like? Scientists from different space agencies studied 20 years of data to try to listen to the Sun. They found the Sun has a sound like a low, deep "heartbeat". They measured vibrations from the Sun and changed them into different sounds. The scientists used these to find out what is happening inside the Sun. They will understand more about solar flares and other things that happen inside the Sun.

Researchers turned data from the space agencies into a "song". A researcher said: "We don't have straightforward ways to look inside the Sun...so using...the Sun's vibrations allows us to see inside of it." He added: "Waves are travelling and bouncing around inside the Sun, and if your eyes were sensitive enough, they could actually see this." Scientists are understanding more about how complex the Sun is. He said: "I think that's a pretty cool thing."

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Sun's Sounds - Level 2

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Have you ever thought about what the Sun sounds like? Scientists from the European Space Agency and NASA studied 20 years of data to try to listen to the Sun. They say the Sun produces a sound like a low, deep "heartbeat". The scientists used a special observatory to measure vibrations from the Sun. They then changed these vibrations into different sounds. The scientists will use these to find out what is happening inside the Sun. They will understand more about solar flares, chemical reactions and other things that happen inside the Sun.

The scientists explained how they created the sounds. Researchers turned data from space agencies into a "song". Dr Alex Young said: "We don't have straightforward ways to look inside the Sun...so using a star or the Sun's vibrations allows us to see inside of it." Dr Young continued: "Waves are travelling and bouncing around inside the Sun, and if your eyes were sensitive enough, they could actually see this." He added: "We are finally starting to understand the layers of the Sun and the complexity. That simple sound is giving us a probe inside a star. I think that's a pretty cool thing."

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Sun's Sounds - Level 3

What does the Sun sound like? Perhaps you have never thought about what kinds of sounds the Sun makes, but scientists have found out. Researchers from the European Space Agency, NASA and the Solar and Heliospheric Agency studied 20 years of data to listen to the Sun. They say the Sun produces a low, deep "heartbeat" sound. The scientists used a solar observatory to measure vibrations from the Sun. They translated these vibrations into different sounds. These can tell the scientists what is happening inside the Sun. They can now understand more about solar flares, chemical reactions and other phenomena that happen inside the Sun and on its surface.

The scientists explained how they created the Sun's sound. Researchers from the Stanford Experimental Physics Lab turned data from the space agencies into a "song". Dr Alex Young said: "We don't have straightforward ways to look inside the Sun. We don't have a microscope to zoom inside the Sun, so using a star or the Sun's vibrations allows us to see inside of it." Dr Young continued: "Waves are travelling and bouncing around inside the Sun, and if your eyes were sensitive enough, they could actually see this." He added: "We are finally starting to understand the layers of the Sun and the complexity. That simple sound is giving us a probe inside a star. I think that's a pretty cool thing."

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