Since landing On Mars more than a year ago, NASA’s Perseverance Rover used its microphones to pick up sounds from the Red Planet, including its own strong winds and the hum of ingenuity cut through the atmosphere. And now these recordings have helped scientists discover Sound travels differently on Mars than on Earth.
In a study published in the journal on Friday nature, the researchers said they found that the Red Planet’s thin carbon dioxide atmosphere slows the propagation of sound on Mars, with the pitch of the sound further affecting its speed. On Earth, sound typically travels at 767 miles per hour. But on Mars, scientists found that bass travels at about 537 miles per hour while treble travels at about 559 miles per hour.
If you were to visit Mars, you would hear high pitched sounds a little sooner. “On Earth, you reach the sounds of an orchestra with the same speed, whether low or high. But imagine on Mars, if you’re a little far from the stage, there’s a big lag,” Sylvestre Maurice, the study’s lead author, told France AFP news agency.
Due to the planet’s weak atmosphere, sounds also carry a shorter distance. On Earth they fall about 213 feet, while on Mars the sounds begin to fade after just 13 feet. This is something that would make it difficult to converse with someone just 16 feet away from you. If you want to hear how things like birds and ocean waves would sound on Mars, NASA has put together Recordings which give an idea of how much a Martian atmosphere would change our perception of the world.
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