Dictionary definition of “auroral chorus”

auroral chorus

n. chirps, whistles, and quasi-musical sounds created by the electromagnetic effects of auroras in very low broadcast frequencies. Subjects: English, Environment, Music, Science

Editorial Note: A similar phenomenon is the dawn chorus. Examples of the both can be heard here.

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Citations: 1995 Stephen McGreevy Usenet: rec.radio.shortwave (Aug. 11) “Part 2 of 3, Natural VLF Radio Listening”: The South Island of New Zealand and the Tierra del Fuego region of South America, plus the Antarctic Peninsula, are where the good displays of Aurora and auroral chorus can be seen and heard. 2001 Chris Johns Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada) (Mar. 17) “The northern lights sing songs of love” p. R3: The sounds are as mysterious as the lights themselves. Some are downright eerie, like Halloween ghost-sound-effects tapes. Others are almost familiar and comforting, similar, in fact, to the chirps of crickets or frogs. The lights also produce sounds suggesting the calls of tropical birds, whales or dolphins, which have become popular meditative-music fodder in recent years. The lull of the auroral chorus, however, is often broken up with distinctly sci-fi sounds known as whistlers—magnificent bursts of radio energy that begin in the high-frequency range and slide down to a low pitch. 2006 UC Davis (California) (Apr. 17) “Guggenheim Scholar to Study Implications of ‘Atmospheric Radio’”: Those sounds are now commonly known as atmospheric or natural radio, auroral chorus and VLF (“very low frequency” phenomena).

Posted 24 Apr 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend