A Sound System So Powerful It Can Kill You
Most of us like to crank up the sound every now and then. Your favorite track is on your stereo and, well sometimes you want to hear it loud.
But did you know that sound can actually kill you. That’s right, if a sound reaches more than 135 decibels and you happen to be in the cross fire, those sound waves could rupture your insides.
Fortunately there’s not too many sound systems in the world capable of such power. The one we’re talking about here, belongs to the European Space Agency.
Affectionately known as ‘The Horn’, it is a part of ESA’s Large European Acoustic Facility (LEAF). The Horn was built as part of a test chamber used to perform acoustic noise tests on spacecrafts to make sure no damage occurs during rocket launches.
When turned to maximum volume, there’s absolutely no chance of survival.
The test chamber is 16.4 m tall, 11 m wide and 9 m deep. Imbedded in one of the walls is the horn. Engineers have built the system so that nitrogen can be shot through it. This in turn produces an incredibly powerful sound well over 150 decibels.
Put it this way, if you were to stand inside the chamber while the horn is being operated, it would be similar to standing beside multiple jets taking off at once.
Thank goodness your neighbour is unlikely to get hold of one.
