Solar Sounds

The Sun speaks to us. It tells us about conditions deep inside it, far below its surface. That helps scientists understand how the Sun is put together, how it works, and how it changes. Listening to the Sun is called helioseismology. It works in the same way that seismology works on Earth. Motions inside the Sun generate sound waves. Those waves can travel all the way around the Sun. And they can travel deep inside it. They cause the surface to vibrate. And scientists can measure the vibrations – the Sun’s voice. The voice is complicated. It’s producing many frequencies of sound – like a diva singing many octaves of notes all at the same time. Some of the waves penetrate all the way to the core, where the Sun generates energy. Others stay close to the surface. Scientists have to unscramble this cacophony to understand what the waves are telling us. One thing that scientists have learned recently is that an important region in its magnetic field has changed over the past four decades. Today, that region is much closer to the surface than it was 40 years ago, suggesting that our star is undergoing some changes. The magnetic field is especially important to Earth. Magnetic storms can knock out satellites and power grids, disrupt radio waves, and cause other problems. So we may be able to better protect our technology by listening to the voice of the Sun. Script by Damond Benningfield