Listen to lightning on Saturn! courtesy of NASA/JPL

[eppur_se_muova]

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/videos/video-details.cfm?videoID=111

This audio clip was created from radio signals received by the
radio and plasma wave science instrument on the Cassini
spacecraft. The bursty radio emissions were generated by lightning
flashes on Saturn and are similar to the crackles and pops one
hears on an AM radio during a thunderstorm on Earth. This storm on
Saturn occurred on January 23 and 24, 2006. The clip compresses
two hours of observations into about 28 seconds. Therefore, every
second of the audio clip corresponds to about 4 minutes, 18


http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/audioclips/saturn-lightning/

audio clip page


http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=2001

The storm is a possible source of radio emissions believed to come
from electrical discharges (lightning) deep in Saturn's
atmosphere. Cassini began detecting the radio emissions, which are
like those from lightning, on January 23. At about the same time,
amateur astronomers reported that a storm had appeared in Saturn's
southern hemisphere at minus 35 degrees latitude. Cassini was in
the wrong place to take good images of the storm on the day side,
since the planet showed only a thin crescent to the spacecraft,
but night side imaging was possible using light from the rings.

The image shows the storm as it appeared to the Cassini imaging
system on January 27, 2006. The storm's north-south dimension is
about 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles); it is located at minus 36
degrees (planetocentric) latitude and 168 degrees west longitude.
This places it on the side of the planet that faces the spacecraft
when the radio emissions are detected; the radio emissions shut
down for half a Saturnian day when the storm is on the other side.

This view was derived from an original Cassini image by
reprojecting it as a cylindrical map and enhancing the contrast to
bring out faint features. See Storm at Night (Limb View) for the
original image.

No lightning flashes are visible in the image. They would look
like medium-sized bright spots, since the light would spread out
before it reaches the cloud tops. Non-detection does not mean that
the lightning is absent, however. Lightning might be too faint to
stand out above background or too deep to be seen through the
thick clouds. Bad luck is another possibility: The camera might
have missed the strong flashes during the 10 seconds that the
shutter was open.



on edit: added link to audio clip page

[vptpt]

1. Sweet, thanks for the link!

I'm at work right now and don't have a way to listen, but this will be one of the first things I do on my own computer when I get home.

[Wilms]

2. Thanks

[KAT119]

3. Thank You, this is fascinating

Saturn is my guiding planet...and that is how I felt on Jan. 23/24! A great change of perspective from our earthly focus. Thanks again.