NASA’s Perseverance Rover helps scientists discover slower sound flights on Mars

where On Mars more than a year ago, NASA’s Perseverance Rover used its microphones to capture the sounds of the Red Planet, including its own. buzz of creativity . And now those recordings have helped scientists This sound travels differently on Mars than it does on Earth.

In a study published Friday in the journal, The researchers said they have determined that the red planet’s thin carbon dioxide atmosphere is causing sound to travel more slowly on Mars, with sound affecting its speed more. On Earth, sound typically travels at 767 miles per hour. But on Mars, scientists have determined that low-pitched travel is about 537 miles per hour, while high-pitched movements move around 559 miles per hour.

If you’re visiting Mars, that means you’ll hear high-pitched voices a little earlier. “On Earth, the sounds of an orchestra reach you at the same speed, whether it’s low or loud. But imagine on Mars, if you were a little further from the stage, there would be a significant delay,” Sylvester Morris, lead author of the study, told France .

Sounds also carry a shorter distance due to the planet’s thin atmosphere. On Earth, they drop at around 213 feet, while on Mars the sounds begin to falter after only 13 feet. This is something that would make it difficult to have a conversation with someone who is only 16 feet away from you. If you want to hear what things like birds and ocean waves would look like on Mars, NASA got them together Which gives a sense of how the Martian-like atmosphere affects our perception of the world.