Would we hear a sound on another planet the same as we hear it on earth?

Question

We have all been taught that sound waves cannot travel in a vacuum, so there would be no sound in a place with no atmosphere, like the moon. On earth, our atmosphere or what we commonly call "air" is made up of a mixture of several gasses in specific proportions. Sound waves travel through air and we detect them through our sense of hearing.
If we were on another planet with an atmosphere, such as Mars or Jupiter, the gasses making up their atmospheres are very different from ours. Would sound pass through these alien atmospheres, and if so would the sound heard by a person be sensed as the same sound as caused by the identical event on earth?

Answer 1

Depends on the atmosphere of the planet you are on.

Answer 2

I think about 2/3 of planets inhabited have atmospheres, but sometimes the pressures are higher or lower and the gas mixtures could be somewhat different.

So the answer to your Q is 'NO' -- it will not be the same in most all places, but close in a few.

Gravity will be a factor too. But the average planet is about the size of earth, maybe a little bit bigger.

Yes, some planets have no atmosphere but are inhabited. Life is very, very different there. The people do not breathe air. Lightning (i.e. electrical storms) are MUCH more dangerous in such places, but they have no tornadoes or hurricanes. They have to run to insulated shelters F-A-S-T.

Answer 3

Mars has a thinner atmosphere, and therefore sound would not travel well. To what extent you could hear anything, The winds on those other planets is intense according to what I've heard. Wind noise would probably drown it out.

Jupiter's got a hydrogen atmosphere, so sounds would be higher in pitch, just like one of us talking after inhaling helium.

Mars has a carbon dioxide atmosphere, and now that I think about it that means, deeper sounds -- if only the atmosphere weren't so thin.

Bear in mind, you would have to take off your astronaut helmet to listen to anything, and you probably couldn't do that.

Answer 4

No you wont hear it the same. I did a few movies of planet exploration and made them enjoyable for the general audiance and on some of the planets the noise was so acute that people ears would hurt on listing to the noise I had some complaints about it the noise is much more intense and a sound wave if you have fallen down and it can happen a lot on low gravity planet just by clicking your heels the sound wave would boos you to your feet others did not know of this they maul around on the surface to right them selves but just a click and Im up on my feet again.

Answer 5

No, unless the other planet had the same exact conditions we do on earth. Think about going underwater and how you "hear" there, or trying to listen through a door, or while wearing headphones/helmet - Sound waves behave differently going through different substances/gases/pressures.

Answer 6

If you could stand the pressure differences or us a microphone outside your space suit, and ignoring things like 700 mph winds on Jupiter, the sound should be the same.

Answer 7

NO. The pitch of the sounds depends on the gas composition.
Have you ever heard the voice of somebody speaking through helium gas? It sounds like the voice of a small child.

Answer 8

I would guess it would sound different since the atmosphere is different. It would be interesting to hear what it sounds like, huh?!

Answer 9

Well that's a very good question. I guess it would be very different sounds depending on variables(unknown to me) that would decide the factors of what it could sound like.