Jovian Whistlers
Jovian whistler waves propagate at audio frequencies along
closed field lines in Jupiter's magnetosphere. Like Earth
whistlers, the higher frequency components of the Jovian
whistler propagate faster than the lower frequency components,
resulting in a descending tone that decreases rapidly in frequency
over several seconds. The descending tone sounds like a
high-pitched whistle.
Also like Earth whistlers, Jovian whistlers are generated by
lightning discharges in the atmosphere. It was the detection
of Jovian whistlers by the Voyager spacecraft that provided the
first indirect evidence of lightning on the giant planet.
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Sounds of Space table
Sounds of Space
Radio and Plasma Wave Research Group
The Department of Physics and Astronomy
The University of Iowa