Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

lioncub2785 t1_j5kwlp4 wrote

Equally interesting question is how would methane rivers and other large bodies of liquid would sound in satellites like Titan, accounting for their respective atmospheric circumstances?

1

Bipogram t1_j5mhvxf wrote

<polishes nails: I calibrated the speed of sound sensor (API-V) on the Huygens probe>

The speed of sound varies only with temperature and composition of the gas.

If you know the temperature (trivial) then you can infer the composition from the time taken for a 'ping' to traverse a small gap - from a transmitting element to a microphone.

Pressure affects only the 'loudness' of the ping, not the speed.

It's a good question how a waterfall might sound - or a breaking wave. That's not a trivial matter - as anyone who has poured hot and cold water into a glass and listened will attest.

3

lioncub2785 t1_j5ml059 wrote

Thank you for your response, you have made my day!

2

Bipogram t1_j5mvdl8 wrote

It is a good question - I suspect that the sound of a breaking wave arises from the bubbles made by the impact 'ringing' - the fundamental mode of which will vary with T and the ratio of specific heats (gamma).

So I'd expect breaking waves on Titan to have fewer large bubbles (weaker gravity) but on the other hand the syrface tension of N2/ethane is lower than that of water, so might not bubbles be larger?

Either way, the speed of sound is 2/3 that of that at Earth's sea level - so a vibrating bubble ought to have a lower tone - if bubble sizes are like those on Earth, then the speed of sound alone will make crashing breakers sound deeper in pitch.

I think.

-fun!-

1