This is what the birth of the universe sounded like | Mark Whittle

Mark Whittle explores the sound of the cosmos, asserting that the echoes from the universe's first moments persist over 13 billion years later. He emphasizes that space has never been silent, as pressure waves have continuously moved through it, creating a resonant environment shortly after the Big Bang.

Whittle explains that these sound waves were instrumental in the formation of galaxies. He notes that this cosmic sound exists approximately 50 octaves below human hearing, with the brightness contrast in the cosmic microwave background revealing the peaks and troughs of these sound waves, which correspond to a loudness of about 90 decibels.

The primordial sound resembles qualities of a musical instrument or a human voice, though it is not particularly clean or musical to human ears. Whittle highlights that the sound waves from the universe's early stages have left traces in the current galaxy-filled universe, with their patterns fossilized in the structure of galaxies.

He elaborates that cosmic structure, sound waves, and galaxy patterns originated from subatomic quantum vibrations during the universe's birth. Quantum oscillations, smaller than atoms, were amplified by cosmic expansion, transforming into sound waves that contributed to the formation of stars, galaxies, planets, and ultimately humans.

To make the primordial sound more accessible, Whittle modified it to align with the pitch of notes on a piano keyboard, enhancing its melodic and rhythmic character. He concludes by reflecting on the rarity of sentient beings, like humans, who can appreciate the universe, suggesting that atoms from the first acoustic era played a crucial role in the development of everything we know today.