The Loudest Sound In The Universe Ever Known
The universe is full of mysteries as there is an unimaginable scale of greatness, intrigue, and complexity. Galaxies, dark matters, solar systems, black holes and whatnot! One such intriguing thing about the cosmos is the loudest sound in the universe. What fascinated me here is that in the vacuum of space, there is no medium to transmit sound waves. Hence, there can be no sound in the traditional sense.
However, scientists have shifted to other forms of cosmic “sound” to determine the loudness of it. For example, electromagnetic waves or gravitational waves are used to measure the intensity and volume of the sounds in space. Let’s learn more about the loudest explosions and sounds in the universe.
What Is The Loudest Sound In The Universe Ever?
How many decibels is the loudest sound in the universe? It’s somewhere around 300 decibels which is enough to deafen the human ear. It can even lead to death in some cases.
The universe is filled with events of immense energy and impact and among those include the below three intriguing events:
1. The mysterious space roar
The loudest and the strongest sound in the universe is known as the “space roar”. It refers to an unexplained and surprisingly loud background noise detected in the universe. How loud is a space roar? It can range somewhere between 120 decibels to 300 decibels. Scientists have said that, “It’s a sound that is six times louder than anything that anyone was expecting.”
It was detected by ARCADE 2 (Absolute Radiometer for Cosmology, Astrophysics, and Diffuse Emission) in 2006 where the instrument listened to the sound from a height of about 23 miles (37 kilometers). But what does the space roar sound like? It’s like a low frequency background vibration noise.
The exact space roar frequency is unknown and there’s no concrete explanation as to what caused that sound. However, some possible explanations include:
- A roar from undetected galaxies
- The noise could have come from intergalactic medium, which is known as the space between galaxies
So, how many decibels is the loudest sound in the universe? There’s no exact answer to this yet.
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2. Collision of two black holes
The earth has witnessed many loud sounds. From the loudest sound a human can hear during the Krakatoa volcanic eruption (310 dB) to the loudest sound ever made by a human in the form of nuclear bombs and Hiroshima bombs (280 dB). The reason why we don’t hear these sounds on Earth is because there are no air molecules in space to transmit noise and vibrations.
How loud is a nuclear bomb? The sound can go up to 240 decibels and it can rupture the ear drums. In rare cases, it can even cause death.
But what about the loudest sound in the universe? It has to be the occurrence of two black holes colliding and producing gravitational waves. This was first predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916.
When two black holes orbit around each other and spiral inward, they produce gravitational waves and cause the black holes to merge with one another. That’s when they collide and they create tiny distortions in spacetime. In the near future, this will be one of the most violent events in the history of mankind.
3. Tunguska meteor explosion
On June 30th 1908 in Siberian Taiga, Russia, a meteor explosion flattened over 2,000 square kilometers of forest. It even resulted in the death of three people. Scientists say that a comet, approximately the size of a 25-story building caused this explosion.
The explosion was the loudest single-event sound ever recorded at 300-315 decibels which is equivalent to 10-15 megatons of TNT. Imaging an explosion 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. That’s how magnanimous the explosion was. 80 million trees were knocked down and hundreds of reindeer were damaged.
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4. Supernova explosions
Supernovae are nothing but the death of massive stars. Basically, when a star undergoes a supernova explosion, it releases an immense amount of energy. This sends shock waves throughout space and it’s one of the most intense energy outputs from the universe.
For example, the supernova SN 1998bw, associated with the gamma-ray burst GRB 980425, was so powerful that it would be unbearable for the human ear to hear. These sounds were detected in the year 1998.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that these cosmic sounds are beyond our audio reach. The scale and intensity of these events are impossible for us humans to understand but it’s good to know that there are dramatic events happening outside of planet earth. Such is the beauty of nature and the enigma of the universe.
