Scientists measure speed of sound on Mars with NASA’s Perseverance Rover

dailystar.co.uk:

Mars is often seen as Earth’s sister planet, and scientists have long dreamed of one day establishing a colony there.But even having a chat on the Red Planet would be tricky, and listening to music would be well-nigh impossible, as new data from NASA’s Perseverance rover demonstrates.In a study published this week in the scientific journal Nature, scientists said they had worked out that the speed of sound is slower and less consistent on Mars, while even quite loud sounds wouldn’t carry half as far.On Earth, sound typically travels at 767 miles per hour.

But in the thin carbon dioxide atmosphere of Mars, high-pitched sounds would only move at about 559mph while baser tones would wader along at a sedate 537mph."On Earth, the sounds from an orchestra reach you at the same speed, whether they are low or high,” explained Sylvestre Maurice, the study’s lead author, “but imagine on Mars, if you are a little far from the stage, there will be a big delay”.The sound wouldn’t carry as far either, so you’d need to sit much closer to the stage.

While in the Earth’s atmosphere a sound might easily carry for a couple of hundred feet the same sound on Mars would suffer a significant drop in volume after just 13ft.High-pitched sounds such as children’s voices and birdsong, would be particularly affected.

As NASA explains: "Because the Mars atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide (Earth’s atmosphere is mostly nitrogen and oxygen), higher-frequency noises will likely be more attenuated than bass pitches, meaning we probably won’t hear them as well as lower-pitched sounds”.