YouTuber westh2o was diving underwater with friends in Moorea, French Polynesia when they began to hear the whale song of a humpback whale. Westh2o writes:
The recording does not do justice to the actual sound. Seriously some of those sounds vibrated my chest. I didn’t realize whales had such a wide frequency of sound. Some were mid to hi frequency and some were very low.
As they swam into the depths, straining their eyes to find the sound’s source in the cloudiness of the water, the vocalizations became louder, and then something huge began to emerge. Here’s a glimpse:
Watch the video to get a reeeally good look. And then watch more whale encounters here, here, and here.
via PetaPixel.
This is the Three Wattled Bell Bird, recorded in Costa Rica, Central America.
Because of the secretive behavior of this bird, it is often only detected by the distinctive bell-like call given by the males. At close range, the vocalization of many in Costa Rica is heard as a complex three-part song, the “bonk” giving the bird its name. This hollow, wooden “bonk” is thought to be among the loudest bird calls on Earth, audible to humans from over 0.5 mi (0.80 km) away.
Watch a phenomenal amount of videos with birds, including more that either look or sound quite unusual: the common potoo, the red-capped manakin, the not-to-be-missed birds of paradise, and the kookaburra.
I suddenly have the urge to go blow across the top of a bottle. This is Aeolus, an Acoustic Wind Pavilion, and I have no doubt that we would stand within it for quite a while… great sound. It reminded me immediately of England’s Singing Ringing Tree, as well as the sound of Tibetan Singing Bowls.
jtotheizzoe:
This amazing art project goes along with my latest YouTube episode about gusty science: What Is Wind?…
Luke Jerram is a colorblind artist based in the UK. Aeolus is a sonic creation that blends acoustic physics, inspirations from classical civilizations, and visual adventure. The arch is a large Aeolian harp, an ancient instrument that uses the wind’s vibration on strings to send a frequency down a long metal tube.
A listener in the center of the arch experiences sounds transmitted from a field of taut strings and naturally harmonic open tubes. In addition, the angle of light transmitted through the polished pipes creates an altered listening environment. The experience can change by the minute or hour depending on wind conditions.
The tightened strings vibrate due to something called the von Karman vortex street effect, where the vortex created behind a string causes it to vibrate. It’s similar to what happens when a car antenna begins to sing in the wind.
You can see a photo gallery here, and listen to interviews and sound samples here.
A true feat of beauty and science.
(via Luke Jerram)
A Tibetan Singing Bowl:
Singing bowls… are a type of bell, specifically classified as a standing bell. Rather than hanging inverted or attached to a handle, singing bowls sit with the bottom surface resting. The sides and rim of singing bowls vibrate to produce sound characterized by a fundamental frequency (first harmonic) and usually two audible harmonic overtones (second and third harmonic).
You can also watch this Tibetan Bowl Master both strike and rub the outsides of the bowls for different sounds.
There are more bells ringing in the archives. Related watching and listening: Glass Harps.
