Score One for Team Frizz: We Can Hear Meteors
Apparently, tens of thousands of meteorites hurtle toward Earth each day - yet we're still here. The majority of meteorites break apart in the atmosphere before actually hitting the Earth... #phew
AND according to a recent study entitled "Photoacoustic Sounds from Meteors," which was published in the recent issue of Scientific Reports, people with frizzy hair may be more likely to hear these things as they scream towards the Earth.
Meteors that don't break apart turn into fireballs... nope, not the cute, cinnamony shot Pitbull sings about. Instead, we're talking about a speeding chunk of minerals and iron.
Fireballs can make a whizzing, popping, or fizzing sound as they extinguish within our atmosphere. “It seems significant that people with frizzy hair are reported to be more likely to hear concurrent sound from meteors,” write the study's authors.
“Intuitively, frizzy hair should be a good transducer for two reasons. Hair near the ears will create localized sound pressure, so it is likely to be heard. Also, hair has a large surface-to-volume radio, which maximizes sound creation.” You can also check out a recent article in Air and Space Magazine for additional information.
I don't remember what was happening in the photo below, but I'm guessing we're both staring in the direction of a fireball that I could hear and KO could not.
This situation needs a closeup...
Hair Up, Game On,
Shelly
