The Northern Lights can produce audible sounds like claps, pops, and crackles.

For decades, reports of the Northern Lights making noise were dismissed as folklore or psychological illusions. However, in 2012, researchers from Aalto University in Finland, led by Professor Unto K. Laine, confirmed the phenomenon using a sophisticated three-microphone array. Their study proved that the sounds originate just 70 meters (230 feet) above the ground, far lower than the aurora itself, which occurs at altitudes of 80 to 500 kilometers.The mechanism involves a temperature inversion layer where warm air is trapped above a layer of cold, stagnant air near the surface. During a geomagnetic storm, negative charges from the atmosphere and positive charges from the ground accumulate in this inversion layer. This creates a concentrated zone of static electricity that remains stable until the aurora's magnetic fluctuations trigger a discharge.When the geomagnetic disturbance reaches a certain threshold, the accumulated charge releases as a spark, producing a faint but audible sound. These sounds are described as crackles, pops, or muffled bangs and often coincide with the most intense visual pulses of the aurora. The 2016 follow-up studies by Laine even suggested that these sounds can occur even when the aurora is not visible to the naked eye, provided the magnetic conditions are right.