Hear the sound of a meteoroid hitting the surface of Mars

Well, all you NASA fanatics out there, here’s a nice video to watch that was shared by JPL aka Jet Propulsion Laboratory that features the sound of a meteoroid hitting the surface of the planet Mars!

I love this kind of thing! I’ve been fascinated by NASA since I was a kid and the things they are doing now and sharing with the world are truly amazing!

Here is an explanation that came along with the video:

NASA’s InSight lander detected seismic waves from a meteoroid and was able to capture the sound of space rock hitting the surface of Mars for the first time. The meteoroid – the term used for space rocks arriving before they hit the ground – entered the atmosphere of Mars on September 5, 2021, exploding into at least three fragments that left craters behind. Mars’ atmosphere is only 1% denser than Earth’s, allowing far more meteoroids to pass and hit the Red Planet’s surface.

This event marks the first time that seismic and acoustic waves from an impact have been detected on the Red Planet. Why does this meteor impact sound like a “bloop” in the video? It has to do with a peculiar atmospheric effect that is also observed in the deserts of the Earth.

After dark, the atmosphere retains some of the heat accumulated during the day. Sound waves travel through this heated atmosphere at different speeds, depending on their frequency. Consequently, high-pitched sounds come before high-pitched sounds. An observer close to impact would hear a “bang”, while someone many miles away would hear the bass sounds first, creating a “bloop”.

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter flew over the estimated impact site to confirm the location. The orbiter used its black and white Context Camera to reveal three darkened spots on the surface.

After locating these points, the orbiter team used the camera from the high-resolution imaging science experiment, or HiRISE, to get a full-color close-up of the craters. Since HiRISE sees wavelengths that the human eye cannot detect, scientists change camera filters to enhance the color of the image. The areas that appear blue around the craters are where the dust was removed or disturbed by the explosion of the impact. Mars dust is red and bright, so removing it makes the surface appear relatively dark and blue.

Hope you enjoy this!