{"id":10929,"date":"2024-01-11T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=10929"},"modified":"2023-12-07T20:34:40","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T20:34:40","slug":"why-isnt-there-any-sound-in-space-an-astronomer-explains-why-in-space-no-one-can-hear-you-scream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/why-isnt-there-any-sound-in-space-an-astronomer-explains-why-in-space-no-one-can-hear-you-scream\/","title":{"rendered":"Why isn\u2019t there any sound in space? An astronomer explains why in space no one can hear you scream"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Matter in deep space is very spread out, which makes it impossible for any sound waves to travel.\n NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\nChris Impey<\/a>, University of Arizona<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n
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Curious Kids<\/a> is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you\u2019d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

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How far can sound travel through space, since it\u2019s so empty? Is there an echo in space? \u2013 Jasmine, age 14, Everson, Washington<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

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In space, no one can hear you scream.<\/p>\n\n

You may have heard this saying. It\u2019s the tagline from the famous 1979 science fiction movie \u201cAlien<\/a>.\u201d It\u2019s a scary thought, but is it true? The simple answer is yes, no one can hear you scream in space because there is no sound or echo in space.<\/p>\n\n

I\u2019m a professor of astronomy<\/a>, which means I study space and how it works. Space is silent \u2013 for the most part.<\/p>\n\n

How sound works<\/h2>\n\n

To understand why there\u2019s no sound in space, first consider how sound works. Sound is a wave<\/a> of energy that moves through a solid, a liquid or a gas. <\/p>\n\n

Sound is a compression wave<\/a>. The energy created when your vocal cords vibrate slightly compresses the air in your throat, and the compressed energy travels outward. <\/p>\n\n

A good analogy for sound is a Slinky toy<\/a>. If you stretch out a Slinky and push hard on one end, a compression wave travels<\/a> down the Slinky.<\/p>\n\n

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