Can You Hear It?
For over a thousand years arctic communities have told stories about a mysterious sound that accompanies the northern lights; a sound that many scientists have said cannot exist.
In this "Mythbusters" meets "Top Gear Special" adventure, acoustics researcher and documentary filmmaker Chas Sheppard teams up with scientists, historians and indigenous groups to understand the truth behind the sound of the northern lights.
Why Make This?
When I first heard about auroral sounds, I dismissed them as impossible. The aurora occurs at over 8000m in the thin upper atmosphere. Even if it does make a sound, it should be impossible to hear. But...
The deeper I dug, the more accounts I found of people having heard these sounds. I found research papers speculating on potential causes, and even some possible recordings. But to this day, the sound is still not fully understood.
My goal is to record the sounds of the aurora during a severe geomagnetic storm to unravel the truth behind this phenomenon, and engage ordinary people in the scientific process, to explore how academics can better work with communities.
Why Me?
Well, apart from the fact that I've been already been working on this for months now, there aren't a lot of documentary filmmakers who are also directly involved in cutting edge acoustic research.
From coming up with innovative ways to record live music, to predicting engine failure using acoustic analysis, to developing new ways of diagnosing lung diseases with a smartphone microphone, I'm used to pushing the boundaries of sound recording.
If the aurora does make a sound (and I really believe it does) I'm confident that I've got the skills to record it.
What Now?
The next big step for this project is fundraising. Up till now I've been able to save up and self fund my documentary projects, but to do this right is going to cost serious money.
The funding strategy for this project is a hybrid approach, with multiple sources including grant funding, advertising, and crowd funding.
In order to proceed, the project needs to raise at least £8,930 to allow filming to start in November 2024, with shooting planned to continue until early 2025 if necessary.
Get Involved!
Beyond funding, there's a lot that you con do to help out on this project.
Firstly, I'd love to hear about your experiences with auroral sounds, and I'll be sending out a survey on this soon, so follow me on my socials to stay in the loop.
I'll also need to interview specialists in the fields of space weather, earth weather, history and indigenous issues (especially Sámi and other arctic groups) so if that's you, get in touch through the contact form below!