Sailors who saw northern lights at sea share the 'terrifying' thing they noticed: "I thought I was..."

Aurora Borealis, popularly known as the Northern Lights, has drawn people from all over the world to watch the surreal waves of color light up the night sky. However, those who have witnessed the spectacle have also shared a lesser-known detail—eerie crackling noises accompany the breathtaking light display. On Reddit, when sailors were asked to describe the creepiest or most awe-inspiring sights, cited the Northern Lights both for its beauty and its mysterious sounds.

A person answered, "The Northern Lights in the middle of nowhere Alaska. We were anchored in a remote cove, so the CO agreed to turn off all the exterior lights. Just a crazy, crazy thing to see." Another Redditor, @MostSeaworthiness, shared, "Seeing them was absolutely spectacular. Hearing them, though, was unsettling for me." In agreement, another chimed, "They absolutely do like very loud cracking [sic] cellophane, and when they are at their best it’s loud like thunder. The whole ground shakes [and] the colors can get very close to the ground, and I must say when you are surrounded, it’s like being in a lightning storm. Terrifying and awe-inspiring at the same time." A comment also read, "Depends how bright/intense they are, but it's a whistle of sort. I heard it last week in North Dakota when we had a super strong display of the lights."

A traveler, @cyclingbubba, shared, "During a very cold night in northern BC, Canada, I watched the lights and could clearly hear them. It was an intermittent crackling/static type of sound. A most memorable experience!" while another opined, "They sound like dentist drilling and grinding a tooth...crackle and high pitched whirl...unsettling." Meanwhile, a person shared, "I had a nightmare about being alone under Northern lights a few months ago. I thought I was crazy until I saw your comment. I think it must be the fear of how big the sky is; a bit like how big/deep the ocean is." 

Others however were unaware of the auditory phenomena. Historian Fiona Amery of the University of Cambridge looked through early polar explorers' journals to find any references to the crackling noises that have long puzzled scientists. For over a century, these weird sounds have remained a mystery. Amery, in her reports, claimed the occurrence has happened across the world, including Canada, Norway, the Shetland Islands, and Russia, with people describing identical crackling sounds.

Scientific missions were conducted to study the noises during the first International Polar Year in 1882–1883. However, as reported by NBC News, the investigations provided no conclusive explanation. In the 1920s, Canadian astronomer Clarence Chant theorized that the sounds were produced by changes in the electrical charge of the atmosphere brought on by the auroras' movement. New evidence also suggests that the sounds take place high in the atmosphere. Acoustic engineer Unto Laine from Aalto University, Finland, explained that on a particularly cold night, a layer of warmer air forms above a layer of cold air. The opposite electrical charges cause an electrical discharge which leads to the noise.