If you believe that Earth is a planet where
there's no place for mystery, you might change
your opinion soon.
For years, scientists have been struggling
to explain bizarre sounds - some repeating,
some heard only once - that fill the atmosphere
of our planet.
From bewildering hums to worrying sonic booms
and bloops, yes, bloops -- the air is literally
filled with outlandish acoustic phenomena.
And most of these sounds still leave researchers
scratching their heads.
1.
The Upsweep
This long train of sounds was registered for
the first time in 1991 in the Pacific Ocean.
One of the most unusual things about this
signal is that it keeps changing, as if trying
to confuse researchers even more.
Thus, like some unearthly howl, it varies
from high to low frequencies and then back
again, and you can hear it better in the spring
and fall than in the winter and summer.
But why "the Upsweep"?
It's simple: the sound travels from the bottom
of the ocean toward its surface, as if sweeping
up.
Scientists have a theory explaining this phenomenon
- and it's the activity of undersea volcanoes.
Hot lava that's pouring into ice-cold ocean
water could theoretically create such noises,
but there’s no solid proof yet.
2.
Skyquakes
You don't need to travel to a particular part
of the world to hear a skyquake.
Mysterious sonic booms ramble from the skies
everywhere, from the US to India and Japan.
Interestingly, this sound phenomenon occurs
mostly near the coast or a big body of water.
Rattling glassware and windows in nearby houses,
skyquakes could relate to military airplanes
breaking the sound barrier... except for the
fact that people started to hear the first
skyquakes in 1824!
Anyway, there are other explanations for the
mysterious booms as well.
For example, scientists believe that near
a coast, skyquakes can be caused by huge waves
crashing against the rocks.
Sand dunes, apparently, can also be responsible
for the deafening booms.
Other theories include meteors entering the
atmosphere, distant volcano eruptions, the
cracking of the Earth's crust caused by earthquakes,
and even gas bursting out of underground vents
in the sea or a lake bottom.
Never mind the stories of gas bursting out
of my bottom!
Oh, did I say that?
Pardon me.
3.
The Sound of Apocalypse
In different countries around the world, people
have been paralyzed with fear after hearing
otherworldly trumpet sounds that seem to be
coming from the sky.
The inhabitants of Russia, the US, Canada,
Australia, Germany, and the Philippines have
already heard this hair-raising noise since
it was first recorded in 2008.
Until recently, nobody could understand the
origin of the sounds, but these days NASA
claims that there's nothing to be afraid of.
The noise could be a naturally occurring sound
from our own planet.
Usually, it's quiet and, thus, inaudible to
the human ear.
But when it gets louder, the outcome is the
very trumpet sounds that scare people all
over the world.
4.
Bristol Hum
It started in the 1970s, when hundreds of
Bristol's inhabitants began to complain about
a bizarre noise audible only at night.
The noise was a low-level hum, and nobody
could identify or trace the source of the
sounds.
But the strangest thing about the noise was
that one day, it stopped as abruptly as it’d
started, but not before the people in other
towns across Britain reported hearing similar
sounds.
Some time ago, the mysterious sound returned.
In 2015, a group of French scientists claimed
that they’d solved the mystery of the Bristol
Hum.
They stated that the culprit was ocean waves
that made the ocean floor vibrate.
But while that’s all good and well, it didn't
explain why the sound was only around for
several years, or why it chose to return.
My theory?
Well, Bristol hums, because it doesn’t know
the words.
Yeah that’s an old one…
5.
The Taos Hum
If you ever come to the town of Taos in New
Mexico, don't let another strange and unexplained
phenomenon send you running for the hills.
This phenomenon is a faint low-frequency hum
ringing in the desert air, and grating on
your nerves.
Even stranger, only 2 percent of the people
who live in Taos hear this noise.
But for those who do, it's unstoppable torture.
On top of that, everyone describes the sound
in a different way: from a quiet whir to an
eerie hum or even a persistent buzz.
And while some people believe that the Taos
Hum is the result of unusual acoustics, and
others suspect a serious case of mass hysteria,
no-one has located the origin of the hum yet.
6.
The Whistle
Ever heard that annoying sound when a kettle
of boiling water is informing you that it's
time to make a cup of tea?
Well, then you can imagine what the Whistle
sounds like.
But even though it may not be as bloodcurdling
as some other unexplained sounds, it doesn't
make it any less mysterious.
On top of that, the Whistle is very elusive.
In 1997, only one underwater microphone was
able to pick it up, and, therefore, researchers
didn't manage to pinpoint the source of the
noise.
The most likely cause of the unusual sound
is an eruption of one of the submarine volcanoes.
But, once again, scientists don't have enough
proof to make sure.
7.
The Bloop
Let's admit it, the nickname of this noise
sounds far less scary than the thing really
was.
It mimicked the noise created by marine animals,
but its volume was so great that no living
creature known to science could have made
it!
When the Bloop occurred, underwater microphones
managed to record it from a distance of a
whopping 3,000 miles away!
One of the most powerful and famous unexplained
sounds on our planet, The Bloop was recorded
in 1997 by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, and continued for approximately
1 minute.
It started as a low rumble, and gradually
rose in frequency.
Rumor has it that the noise could be connected
with the fictional half-octopus monster, whose
name I can’t pronounce, but will try: Cthulhu,
or some other colossal deep-water creature
with an easier name.
But if you don't believe in monsters, science
has another explanation - iceberg fracturing.
The thing is that "icequakes" recorded in
the Scotia Sea resemble the mysterious Bloop
a bit too much.
8.
Slow Down
For the first time, Slow Down was recorded
on May 19, 1997, not far from the Antarctic
Peninsula.
Sensors that were located almost 3,100 miles
apart managed to detect this sound.
The noise got its curious name because it
usually lasts for about 7 minutes, gradually
decreasing in frequency.
Over the years, this sound repeated in the
same region, and it made researchers believe
that drifting icebergs that hit the seafloor
and came to a screeching halt could be the
source of the weird phenomenon.
On the other hand, there are, again, those
who blame a giant squid for scaring people
with such sound effects.
9.
The Loneliest Whale
This sound is often called "52-hertz whale"
because the animal that creates it calls at
a unique frequency for these creatures - 52
hertz.
When you listen to this noise, it sounds like
a low bass note.
At the same time, it's much higher than the
normal frequency of a whale call, which registers
between 10 and 40 Hertz.
Interestingly, scientists have been listening
to the world's loneliest whale for decades,
but haven't managed to figure out its precise
location.
Nobody knows whether the mammal is male or
female, what its species is, or if the animal
is still alive.
After all, its call was recorded for the last
time in 2004.
Aw…
10.
Julia
When you first hear this noise, you might
think that someone's whining or cooing at
a distance.
The eerie sound was first heard on March 1,
1999, and it was so loud that the whole underwater
microphone network of the equatorial Pacific
Ocean was able to record it.
Scientists claim that the sound could be made
by an Antarctic iceberg that ran aground,
but then, what size must this iceberg be to
create so much noise?
11.
Storms of Jupiter
As NASA's Juno spacecraft was approaching
its destination - Jupiter - on July 4, 2016,
it recorded a bizarre mixture of roaring and
screeching sounds.
This cacophony wouldn't stop for more than
2 hours; the amount of time it took Juno to
cross the boundary of the planet's super-strong
magnetic field.
Astronomers think that the sounds could be
generated by supersonic winds coming from
the sun, or the collision of Jupiter's magnetic
fields.
However, these theories are yet to be proved.
What about you?
Juno?
Nah, me neither.
12.
A Singing Black Hole
Not only have astronomers confirmed that black
holes can sing, but they've actually found
one that's been doing it for 2 billion years!
It’s a supermassive black hole located approximately
250 million light-years away from our planet.
Scientists say that the black hole has been
performing the longest-lasting symphony known
to us humans, and this symphony is being played
at the lowest note in the universe at that!
And if it’s that much gravity, well, I’ll
bet that note B flat!
What about you?
Have you ever heard bizarre sounds you couldn't
explain?
Let me know down in the comments!
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