Mysterious sounds coming from the sky were recorded in places such as the U.S., Mexico, Slovakia, Italy, Brazil and Argentina, intriguing many people who appear to have heard different noises on different dates.
Most of the recordings coincided with the lockdown, so the sounds could have been present before but only caught the attention of many people due to the quieter surroundings. But some people were not convinced, surmising that the noises foreshadow the apocalypse.
Weird noises from the sky – an omen?
Nature is known to produce noises, from a thunder rumbling to wind rustling. Nature's ambient sounds are particularly heard at night, where they travel longer distances than in the day.
But many people were calling the sounds emanating from the sky as the celestial trumpets of the apocalypse. A witness from Bratislava, Slovakia described the sounds occurring in early April as “Darth Vader breathing,” while May 2 recordings from Colorado were more of a sharp whistle.
In early April, vibrations from the sounds were enough to trigger car alarms in the city Mérida in Mexico. Furthermore, audio recordings resemble engine noises even though factories have been silent due to either the holidays or the coronavirus.
San Francisco also experienced a "permanent, creepy" sound in June, which is said to be reminiscent of blaring trumpets.
However, the noises in these locations are likely not new at all. Several similar reports were also made in the past. And it's also possible that an individual's report of "new" sounds snowballed and made other people listen out and notice the noises as well.
Various explanations for sounds from the sky
People also offered explanations in an attempt to rationalize the eerie sounds.
In interviews regarding similar reports in the past, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said that the sounds were due to a natural phenomenon.
According to NASA, “Earth has natural emissions that sound like music from a science fiction movie, but in reality that hum is known as 'cielomoto'” -- translated from Spanish as heavenly or sky quakes.
While seismic movements in the land are due to the collision of plates, sky quakes are produced by the collision of hot and cold air masses. This phenomenon is not uncommon at all. But after the worldwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic lulled much of human activity, the sounds are more likely to be heard, said NASA scientists.
In other instances, however, the sounds may be caused by man-made infrastructures in the area such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The bridge's Seargent said that the mysterious hum is produced by high winds blowing through the railing slats that were recently installed along the bridge's bike path.
Other theories proposed phenomena such as meteors, massive tsunami waves breaking far from shore and shallow earthquakes that could produce audible sounds without noticeable shaking.
The celestial booms, as some people put it, might also be caused by the testing of secret military aircraft such as the spy plane that was dubbed "Aurora." In fact, some people in particular areas described the sounds they heard as drone-like. (Related: Mystery drone sightings in Colorado, Nebraska have many experts baffled.)
According to television meteorologist James Spann, "I would imagine many of them are related to classified missions involving military aircraft."
It's also possible that many of these celestial sounds come from different sources, thus the various explanations for them.
As David Hill, formerly of the US Geological Survey, said, "There may be several plausible explanations for any given incidence of a mysterious booming sound, and that the environment where the sound is heard will determine which of the possible explanations are most reasonable."
He cited a sound in the desert as an example, saying that such a sound is not likely due to breaking surf.
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