Event information
Auroras image credit:
Sophus Tromholt Picture Collection, University of Bergen Library, Norway/Dr Christine Finn
Can you hear the aurora borealis? A historical investigation of an enigmatic atmospheric sound.
Accounts of a type crackling, hissing, or whistling were commonly reported as accompanying particularly active displays of the aurora borealis in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. But do the northern lights really make a sound? Are our bodies sensitive enough to hear it? And what do these elusive atmospheric noises tell us about interactions between Western scientific discourse and local knowledge systems? We will discuss bodily and instrumental attempts to register this aural phenomenon and the theories associated with the mysterious crackling sounds.
Dr Fiona Amery will be giving a 30 minute talk, aimed at a non-academic audience, followed by time for questions and conversation. Space is limited, please reserve a ticket using the link above.