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mfb- t1_ixyu6hd wrote

Sound is very common - in stars, in planets, and arguably even in interstellar gas.

Liquid water is not.

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AxialGem t1_ixyldsu wrote

How so? Sound waves can travel through any medium, be it solid, liquid or gas. Liquid water, while there is a lot of it, is more restricted, right?

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5zalot t1_ixyoqgs wrote

Since most planets don’t have an atmosphere, no sound would travel unless the sound originated on the surface or within the planet. And the sound wouldn’t leave the surface of the planet. So I guess if you put your ear directly on the planet and somehow managed to keep the air in your ear there, you could hear the sounds, but most likely you’d die because you wouldn’t be wearing a helmet and since there’s no atmosphere there is also no air and you would suffocate and this got really off topic and I need to get medicated.

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AxialGem t1_ixypd8m wrote

>Since most planets don’t have an atmosphere

I wouldn't be too sure about that, even in our own solar system that's not true.
Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, Venus, Earth, Mars all have atmospheres. Only Mercury really has very little

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>no sound would travel unless the sound originated on the surface or within the planet

And it does. NASA's InSight lander is specifically designed to study seismic waves on Mars for example. Also, if a planet has an atmosphere, it has winds ofc

Regardless, sound waves still exist if you can't personally hear them, I think that's the main point

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[deleted] OP t1_ixzi39b wrote

There is no medium in space for sound to travel because well, it’s space. Contrary to popular movies.

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AxialGem t1_ixzjev1 wrote

True, true, sound can't travel if there's nothing through which to travel. But of course every time there is something, for example every star and planet in the universe, there is an opportunity for sound waves to travel. And that's obviously a lot more common than liquid water

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[deleted] OP t1_ixzk1xi wrote

Sound needs an atmosphere to travel.

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AxialGem t1_ixzlqob wrote

Why specifically an atmosphere?

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[deleted] OP t1_ixzm57t wrote

It’s a vibration that travels through air. I don’t know specifics but it needs an atmosphere.

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AxialGem t1_ixzny6v wrote

Physicists usually use the term sound wave to mean acoustic waves in any medium, there is still sound under water for example

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Showerthoughts_Mod t1_ixyjhqq wrote

This is a friendly reminder to read our rules.

Remember, /r/Showerthoughts is for showerthoughts, not "thoughts had in the shower!"

(For an explanation of what a "showerthought" is, please read this page.)

Rule-breaking posts may result in bans.

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Showerthoughts-ModTeam t1_iyboabe wrote

Personal perspectives, crazy ideas, questions (rhetorical or otherwise) and meta submissions are not showerthoughts.

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