Asteroseismology

[MissMessier]

Do you think it would be a good idea to have an Asteroseismology section under the Science category in SGL? There is a great deal of scientific interest and studies in stella seismology, especially given that ancient Greeks thought planets and stars were embedded in vast crystal spheres that hummed as they spun around the heavens, giving off what the ancients called “the music of the spheres." There are no crystal spheres; but as astronomers found out in the 1970s. The sun and other stars do actually ‘sing.’ Stars—themselves spherical—can produce notes through their vibrations, like musical instruments. We can’t hear the sounds directly, but astronomers can detect them through asteroseismology—looking beneath the surfaces of the stars into their cores, it's claimed. We can see inside the Sun as clearly as you can see a fetus in the womb using ultrasound. Stars produce ghostly whistling, drumming, humming or rumbling sounds though their frequencies—or speeds of vibration—must be artificially boosted to bring them into human hearing range.

Stars have natural vibrations that are sound waves, just as musical instruments do. Understanding the sounds of the stars is important for our understanding of the formation of the solar system and the Earth. Using asteroseismology We can even monitor dangerous ‘active’ regions on the far side of the Sun. These stormy zones can later send out blasts that create geomagnetic storms on Earth, leading to power failures and radio disruption.

[Doc]

Personally I think there will be a lack of interest and the board will have no traffic. And a busy forum like SGL shouldn't have empty boards. In all my years here I cannot recall the subject being discussed before.

[Hypernova]

I have had a passing interest in helioseismology since we had a guest speaker from the University of Birmingham who was a lecturer in that field. It was a pretty in depth talk and some it admittedly went over my head but I found the whole concept of the science behind it quite fascinating.

Anyway enough reminiscing, I kind of agree with Mick that there may not be enough traffic to make a separate board worthwhile, maybe a sub-forum in the science board if there were enough people ready to contribute.

[MissMessier]

I guess the forum is extensive enough with subjects that members are familiar with, and it would not warrant an additional section on a subject that is unconventional; until there's a wider understanding and appreciation of asteroseismology and it becomes more accessible then the Science section should suffice...

[Doc]

I agree but please post all astroseismology questions in the science section.

[brianb]

The odd occasion when Moreton waves are detected using amateur equipment, surely the solar imaging section covers it. Seismic events on other stars are not, so far as I know, recordable with equipment likely to be accessible to amateurs.

We even have difficulty with variable star observations, a very accessible field to amateurs. What do people do when they get bored of yet another image of M42 or M31? Sorry guys but I want DSO images that show transient events & I don't really care if they're rough. Yes, we've all got to learn & the old warhorses are good yardsticks for measuring progress in refining your technique, but I'd like to see people moving on to new ground (or sky) - there's plenty out there!