Last Tuesday, the awesome sixth test takeoff of SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft was sighted from Puerto Rico. However, beyond leaving the trail of a brilliant trail, Several observers reported hearing the roar of the ship as it passed over the island, a phenomenon thataccording to the Caribbean Astronomy Society (SAC), It shouldn’t happen in theory, since sound travels slower than light.
“Many will have noticed that when seeing an airplane at high altitude, sometimes you can hear the sound it produces, but you perceive that the noise comes from further back than where it is observed in its path, because the sound travels slower than the light. There are a couple of exceptions and, in recent days, we detected sounds in real time as the distant object in the sky that caused them was seen,” the educational entity explained in written statements.
According to the SAC, although the sighting of a few meteors that produce low-frequency sounds that are simultaneous or without any delay has been documented, on November 19, real-time sounds of an object that did not occur were detected from the island. was expected to cause that peculiar audible effect: the Starship rocket.
“There are several observers who have confirmed that the Starship made sounds when it was seen passing over the island, but a detail caught our attention that most probably overlooked, since the sound was perceived without any delay, which In theory it should not have happened since sound travels much slower than a rocket that reaches speeds of between 15,000 and 17,500 miles per hour.”noted the organization.
However, the faint sound was captured by the SAC in the video below just as the clock in the recording reads 6 minutes, 12 seconds and 36 milliseconds.
The scientific disseminator of the SAC, Eddie Irizarry, explained that The apparent roar was energy or electromagnetic waves emitted by light, heat and the metallic surface of the aircraft, interacting with the ionosphere.
He indicated, in turn, that these waves travel at the speed of light and when they reach the surface, nearby trees, structures or walls, act as acoustic reflectors that allow the observer to perceive a sound.
“Even more strange or curious is that it has been shown that people who have long hair, or who wear a cap, glasses or glasses, perceive low frequency sound even better, which suggests that these surfaces also perform that function. and highlight the peculiar audible effect”Irizarry added.
This effect is known as “electrophonic” sound, a term that was originally used for some meteors that cause these low-frequency roars.
However, the SAC reported that several international scientists agree that it appears to be the first time that the sound has been detected at the same time as the sighting of a rocket.
This phenomenon also occurred on January 27, 2000 in Australia, when a satellite disintegrated and caused electrophonic sounds.
During the flight that was sighted from Puerto Rico, SpaceX would test some improvements that will allow for better precision in the descent of the ship, as well as protection improvements against the high temperatures that occur during descent.
SpaceX plans to make Starship the first private service that can reach the Moon and Mars to establish permanent colonies, a vision considered viable by the billionaire Elon Musk, founder of the company.
To achieve the certifications of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Starship will be part of the Artemis III missionthe first in more than half a century that will return a crew to the lunar surface and is scheduled for 2026.