NASA Captures Eerie Sounds of a Black Hole for First Time

NASA has released an audio clip of sound waves emitted by a supermassive black hole located 250 million light-years away, at the heart of the Perseus cluster of galaxies. These acoustics, transposed to be audible to humans, were first detected in 2003 but had never been heard before. The sound waves were amplified, allowing listeners to experience a haunting howling that has been described as both spooky and angry.

The scientific investigation reveals that while sound cannot travel through the vacuum of space, the dense gas surrounding the black hole contains sound waves that travel through it. The lowest note detected from this black hole is a B-flat, recorded at a frequency far below human hearing limits. With the new audio extract, the sounds have been played in a manner that allows for an engaging experience of cosmic phenomena.

This discovery not only intrigues the imagination but also suggests that sound waves may assist in heating the gas in galaxy clusters, potentially impacting star formation processes in the universe. Other similar projects, like the sonification of the first black hole ever photographed, M87*, demonstrate the innovative techniques employed to interpret cosmic data, allowing scientists to reveal hidden details about the structures of space.