What do sferics sound like? Most of us have heard crashes of static on an AM radio during a lightning storm, which is a broadband sferic signal received on a direct path to the lightning bolt.

When the sferics devices were invented back in the mid-1970s, they measured the distance of the cloud-to-ground strike based on the strength of the signal (amperage) generated by the strike.

Sferics, short for "atmospherics", are impulsive signals emitted by lightning. Listen to Sferics (requires RealPlayer G2). They sound like twigs snapping or bacon frying.

Sferics, short for "atmospherics", are impulsive signals emitted by lightning. Listen to Sferics (requires RealPlayer G2). They sound like twigs snapping or bacon frying.

Briefly, sferics, short for “atmospherics,” are RF signals in the VLF range generated by the millions of lightning discharges that strike the Earth daily.

Sferics: (atmospherics): Radio-frequency electromagnetic radiations that originate mainly from thunderstorm lightning. Sferics are heard as the “static” in AM radios.

Listen To Earth's "Songs," Tweeks And Whistles Live On The Web Date: March 21, 2001 Source: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center Summary: If humans had radio antennas instead of ears, we would hear a ...