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{{Short description|Whale who calls at unusual frequency}}
[[File:Akblue52a 256 064c.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|A spectrogram of the 52-hertz signal]]

The '''52-hertz whale''', colloquially referred to as '''52 Blue''', is an individual [[Biology:Whale|whale]] of unidentified species that calls at the unusual frequency of 52 [[Hertz|hertz]]. This pitch is at a higher frequency than that of the other whale species with migration patterns most closely resembling the 52-hertz whale's<ref name="newsci"/>{{snd}}the [[Biology:Blue whale|blue whale]] (10 to 39 Hz)<ref name=Cornell/> and the [[Biology:Fin whale|fin whale]] (20 Hz).<ref name="newsci"/> Its call has been detected regularly in many locations since the late 1980s, and appears to be the only individual emitting a whale call at this frequency. However, the whale itself has never been sighted; it has only been heard via hydrophones. It has been described as the "world's loneliest whale", though potential recordings of a second 52-hertz whale, heard elsewhere at the same time, have been sporadically found since 2010.<ref name="smithsonian">{{cite web |first=Marissa |last=Fessenden |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/maybe-worlds-loneliest-whale-isnt-so-isolated-after-all-180955005/ |title=Maybe the World's Loneliest Whale Isn't So Isolated, After All |work=Smithsonian magazine |date=2015-04-15 |access-date=2015-10-31}}</ref><ref name="whoitrack" />

52 Hz is equivalent to the musical note G#1, which is the 12th lowest key on a conventional 88-key [[Engineering:Piano|piano]] keyboard; or, the 4th finger position on the lowest string (E1) of a [[Engineering:Double bass|double bass]].

== Characteristics ==
{{listen |filename=Ak52 10x.ogg |title=The 52-hertz whale|description=The signal was recorded in the northeast Pacific. It has been sped up ten times, raising the pitch to 520 Hz (C5).}}
The sonic signature is that of a whale, albeit at a unique frequency. The call patterns resemble neither [[Biology:Blue whale|blue]] nor [[Biology:Fin whale|fin whale]]s, being much higher in frequency, shorter, and more frequent.<ref name="disc" /> Blue whales usually vocalize at 10–39 Hz,<ref name=Cornell/> fin whales at 20 Hz.<ref name="newsci" /> The calls of this whale are highly variable in their pattern of repetition, duration, and sequence, although they are easily identifiable due to their frequency and characteristic clustering.<ref name="whoitech" /> The calls have deepened slightly to around 50 hertz since 1992, suggesting the whale has grown or matured.<ref name="whoitrack" />

The migration track of the 52-hertz whale is unrelated to the presence or movement of other whale species.<ref name="nyt" /> Its movements have been somewhat similar to that of blue whales, but its timing has been more like that of [[Biology:Fin whale|fin whales]].<ref name="whoitech" /> It is detected in the [[Earth:Pacific Ocean|Pacific Ocean]] every year beginning in August–December, and moves out of range of the hydrophones in January–February. It travels as far north as the [[Biography:Aleutian Islands|Aleutian]] and Kodiak Islands, and as far south as the California coast, swimming between {{convert|30|and|70|km|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} each day. Its recorded distance traveled per season has ranged from a low of {{convert|708|km|abbr=on}} to a high of {{convert|11,062|km|abbr=on}} in 2002–03.<ref name="oceanus" />

Scientists at the [[Organization:Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution|Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]] have been unable to identify the species of the whale. They speculate that it could be malformed or a [[Biology:Blue whale|blue whale]] [[Biology:Hybrid|hybrid]].<ref name="nyt" /> The research team is often contacted by deaf people who wonder whether the whale may also be deaf.<ref>{{cite web | title=A Song of Solitude | website=The New York Times | date=2004-12-26 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/26/weekinreview/a-song-of-solitude.html}}</ref>

Whatever biological cause underlies its unusually high frequency voice does not seem to be detrimental to its survival. The whale's survival and apparent maturity indicate it is probably healthy. Still, its call is the only one of its kind detected anywhere and there is only one such source per season.<ref name="oceanus" /> Because of this, the animal has been called the loneliest whale in the world.<ref name="disc" /><ref name="Willingham" /><ref name="Anderson" />

Calls picked up by a sensor in California in 2010 suggest that there may be more than one whale calling at 52 Hz.<ref name="smithsonian"/>

== History ==
[[File:52 hz whale map.svg|thumb|Approximate map of the 52-hertz whale's migration range]]
The 52-hertz whale was discovered by a team from the [[Organization:Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution|Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]]. Its call was first detected in 1989, then again in 1990 and 1991.<ref name="oceanus" /> In 1992, following the end of the [[History:Cold War|Cold War]], the U.S. Navy partially declassified the recordings and technical specifications of its [[Earth:SOSUS|SOSUS]] anti-submarine hydrophone arrays, and made SOSUS available for oceanographic research.<ref name="whoitech" /><ref name="nyt" /> {{as of|2014}}, the whale had been detected every year since.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mulvaney|first1=Kieran|title=The loneliest whale in the world?|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/style/2017/01/26/the-loneliest-whale-in-the-world/|access-date=23 February 2017|newspaper=Washington Post|date=26 January 2017|others=Animation and illustrations by Phil Borst}}{{dead link|date=May 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

== In media ==
=== Film ===
''The Loneliest'', a short mockumentary film about two women searching for the loneliest whale, was made in April 2014 by Lilian Mehrel, with the [[Organization:Alfred P. Sloan Foundation|Alfred P. Sloan Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Filmmakers Set Sights on '52', the World's Loneliest Whale|first=Andrew C.|last=Revkin|work=The New York Times|url=http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/filmmakers-set-sights-on-52-the-worlds-loneliest-whale/|date=2015-02-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Loneliest (a short film by Lilian Mehrel)|url=http://www.theloneliestfilm.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301212657/http://www.theloneliestfilm.com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2015-03-01}}</ref>

The title of the Taiwanese movie ''52Hz, I Love You'' (2017) is inspired by the whale, using it as a metaphor for the loneliness experienced when looking for love.

The animated short film entitled ''The Phantom 52'' premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019. The film is written and directed by Geoff Marslett, and stars Tom Skerritt as the loneliest whale. ''The Phantom 52'' went on to play at over 60 film festivals worldwide and win a half dozen awards.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=The Phantom 52|url=https://www.sundance.org/projects/the-phantom-52|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915112003/https://www.sundance.org/projects/the-phantom-52 |archive-date=15 September 2020 |access-date=9 April 2020|website=|publisher=Sundance Institute}}</ref>

A feature-length documentary entitled ''The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52'', directed by Joshua Zeman, the director of ''Cropsey'', and executive producers Leonardo DiCaprio and Adrian Grenier, was commercially released by Bleecker Street on July 9, 2021.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Loneliest Whale - Bleecker Street |website=Bleecker Street |url=https://bleeckerstreetmedia.com/the-loneliest-whale|access-date=2021-09-01}}</ref> The film follows Zeman and a group of five scientists and oceanographers on a quest to find the whale off the coast of California. Funded through a Kickstarter campaign,<ref>{{cite web|title=Help Find the Lonely Whale with Adrian Grenier & Josh Zeman |website=Kickstarter|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lonelywhale/help-us-find-lonely-whale/posts|access-date=2020-02-18}}</ref> the film received generally positive reviews among critics, holding an approval rating of 86% based on 35 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52 |website=Rotten Tomatoes|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_loneliest_whale_the_search_for_52|access-date=2021-09-01}}</ref> {{wipe|Time (magazine)}}'s Stephanie Zacharek called the film "both invigorating and calming to watch,"<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Loneliest Whale Brings Us on an Invigorating Search for an Elusive Creature of the Deep |magazine=Time|date=9 July 2021 |url=https://time.com/6079116/the-loneliest-whale-review/|access-date=2021-09-01}}</ref> while Katie Walsh wrote in the ''{{wipe|Los Angeles Times}}'' that the film is "a modern-day Moby Dick with a conservationist bent" that "surprises, delights and will keep you on the edge of your seat."<ref>{{cite news|title=Review: 'The Loneliest Whale's' song resonates in the 21st century |newspaper=LA Times|date=8 July 2021 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-07-08/review-loneliest-whale-search-for-52-documentary|access-date=2021-09-01}}</ref> Sheri Linden of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' wrote that "the film's epilogue caps the action with a rapturous surprise",<ref>{{cite news |title=Review: 'The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52': Film Review |first=Sheri |last=Linden |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-loneliest-whale-the-search-for-52-1234976645/ |access-date=2021-09-01}}</ref> referring to the sighting{{snd}}complete with film footage{{snd}}of a [[Biology:Blue whale|blue whale]]-[[Biology:Fin whale|fin whale]] hybrid, believed to be the source of the 52 Hz calls.

===Music===
Montreal-based saxophone player and composer Colin Stetson's 2013 album ''New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light'' included a song entitled "Part of Me Apart From You". Though not explicitly written about the 52-hertz whale, when first performing the song live, he has remarked on at least several occasions that the story of the "loneliest whale" resonated deeply with his composition. "This whale is alone in a large body of water, swimming, singing its song, calling for a likeness it will never find," he said by way of introducing the song at a performance at Toronto's Great Hall on 19 May 2013. "When I play this song, I can't help but think about this whale, who right at this very minute is singing alone."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/colin_stetson-great_hall_toronto_on_may_19|title=Colin Stetson – The Great Hall, Toronto ON, May 19|first=Jazz|last=Monroe|date=May 20, 2013|work=exclaim!|access-date=31 October 2015}}</ref>

South Korean group BTS's 2015 album ''The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2'' includes the track "Whalien 52", which explicitly uses the 52-hertz whale as a metaphor for the alienation from others often felt by adolescents.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Benjamin|first=Jeff|title=BTS Succeeds With Mixed Styles, Emotions on 'Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2'|date=2 December 2015|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/6784945/bts-most-beautiful-moment-in-life-pt-2-run-review|magazine=Billboard|access-date=9 January 2017}}</ref>

The English folk duo Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman included the song "52 Hertz" on their 2015 album ''Tomorrow Will Follow Today''. The song is about the whale and includes the line, "52 Hertz, 52 Hertz, I'm singing a love song that no-one can hear" in the chorus.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.folkradio.co.uk/2015/02/kathryn-roberts-and-sean-lakeman-tomorrow-will-follow-today/|title=Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman{{Snd}} Tomorrow Will Follow Today |date=2015-02-25|work=Folk Radio UK{{Snd}} Folk Music Magazine|access-date=2017-10-04|language=en-GB}}</ref>

Chinese metal band The Samans's song "Whalesong" from their eponymous 2012 album is about the whale, using the lyrics "52 Hertz of heartbreak,
52 Hertz of heartache".

British-Portuguese band Moby Dickless and their song “52 Blue” uses the whale as a metaphor for alienation and loneliness. The lyrics were written by lead singer, Sloth and were inspired by his experience living with autism as well as his insecurities about being a frontman/Vocalist. The single artwork, designed by Bart D’Angelo, features a depiction of the whale in a box surrounded by lonesome images of boats.

"52 Hertz Whale" is a Slovak band based in Bratislava, Slovakia. The group debuted in 2015 with the eponymous EP. Later they also released a studio album called "I've met a lot of people". Group performed at the Pohoda, Grape and Colors of Ostrava festivals, and also performed in front of bands such as Algiers, The Underground Youth, Les Discrets, The Physics House Band and Soviet Soviet.

In 2022, the American artist and musician "Crywolf", in his album ''Exuvium'', released ''[52hz]'', which is assumed to be a reference to the 52-hertz whale, as the only words pronounced in the song are the sentence "Darling, you're still alone", told several times.

=== Books ===
In 2020, Japanese novelist Sonoko Machida published a novel titled ''52-Hertz Whales'', in which the anomalous whale serves as a metaphor for "voiceless" lonely people who find each other by chance.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Yoshikawa |first1=Akiko |title=「52ヘルツのクジラたち」町田そのこさんインタビュー虐げられる人々の声なき声をすくう |trans-title=''52-Hertz Whales'': An Interview with Sonoko Machida—Uplifting the Voices of the Downtrodden and Voiceless |url=https://book.asahi.com/article/14086030 |date=10 January 2021}}</ref>

In 2014, American writer Leslie Jamison published an essay in ''[[Company:Atavist|The Atavist Magazine]]'' about the 52-hertz whale's popular appeal as a metaphor for loneliness and perseverance.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jamison |first1=Leslie |title=52 Blue |url=https://magazine.atavist.com/52-blue/ |website=The Atavist Magazine |access-date=7 January 2024 |date=3 August 2014}}</ref> The piece was later included in Jamison's 2019 essay collection ''Make It Scream, Make It Burn''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jamison |first1=Leslie |title=Make it Scream, Make it Burn: Essays |date=2019 |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |location=New York |isbn=978-0316259651 |pages=3-27}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Unsolved:List of unexplained sounds|List of unexplained sounds]]
* List of individual cetaceans

== References ==
{{Reflist
| refs =

<ref name="nyt">
{{cite news
| last = Revkin
| first = Andrew C.
| date = 21 December 2004
| title = Song of the Sea, a Cappella and Unanswered
| newspaper = The New York Times
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/21/science/21whal.html
| access-date = 2012-09-17
}}
</ref>

<ref name="disc">{{cite web
|last = Nelson
|first = Bryan
|date = 2012-05-20
|title = 52 Hertz: The Loneliest Whale in the World
|publisher = Discovery Communications |work=Animal Planet
|url = http://blogs.discovery.com/animal_news/2012/05/52-hertz-the-loneliest-whale-in-the-world.html
|access-date = 2012-09-17
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131224184330/http://blogs.discovery.com/animal_news/2012/05/52-hertz-the-loneliest-whale-in-the-world.html
|archive-date = 2013-12-24
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="newsci">
{{cite web
| last = Copley
| first = John
| date = 10 December 2004
| title = Lonely whale's song remains a mystery
| work = New Scientist
| url = https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6764-lonely-whales-song-remains-a-mystery.html
| access-date = 17 September 2012
}}
</ref>

<ref name="whoitrack">
{{cite journal|title=Twelve years of tracking 52-Hz whale calls from a unique source in the North Pacific|journal=Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers|volume=51|issue=12|date=December 2004|pages=1889–1901|first1=William A.|last1=Watkins|first2=Mary Ann|last2=Daher|first3=Joseph E.|last3=George|first4=David|last4=Rodriguez|doi=10.1016/j.dsr.2004.08.006}}
</ref>

<ref name="whoitech">
{{cite report|last1=Watkins|first1=William A.|last2=George|first2=Joseph E.|last3=Daher|first3=Mary Ann|last4=Mullin|first4=Kristina|last5=Martin|first5=Darel L.|last6=Haga|first6=Scott H.|last7=DiMarzio|first7=Nancy A.|date=February 2000|url=http://darchive.mblwhoilibrary.org/handle/1912/350|title=Whale call data for the North Pacific: November 1995 through July 1999 occurrence of calling whales and source locations from SOSUS and other acoustic systems|publisher=Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Technical report. WHOI-00-02|doi=10.1575/1912/350|hdl=1912/350|doi-access=free|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

<ref name="oceanus">
{{cite web
| last = Lippsett
| first = Lonny
| date = 5 April 2005
| title = A Lone Voice Crying in the Watery Wilderness (with a graphic of tracking during twelve year period)
| work = Oceanus
| publisher = Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
| url = http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewArticle.do?id=4721&archives=true&sortBy=printed
| access-date = 17 September 2012
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Willingham">
{{cite web
| last = Willingham
| first = Emily
| date = 2011-03-31
| title = 52-Hertz song of world's loneliest whale
| work = EarthSky
| url = http://earthsky.org/earth/52-hertz-song-of-worlds-loneliest-whale
| access-date = 2012-09-23
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Anderson">{{cite web
| last = Anderson
| first = Ben
| date = 2011-01-05
| title = 'World's loneliest whale' pays visit to Alaska
| publisher = Alaska Dispatch
| url = http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/worlds-loneliest-whale-pays-visit-alaska
| access-date = 2012-11-17
| archive-date = 24 November 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121124192002/http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/worlds-loneliest-whale-pays-visit-alaska
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

<ref name=Cornell>
{{cite web
|work=Bioacoustics Research Program
|publisher=The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
|url=http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp/listen-to-project-sounds/blue-whale
|title=Blue Whale
|access-date=2015-02-13
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226002906/http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp/listen-to-project-sounds/blue-whale
|archive-date=2015-02-26
}}
</ref>
}}

== Further reading ==
* Jamison, Leslie. (2019). "52 Blue" in ''Make It Scream, Make It Burn: Essays''. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
* {{cite journal|first1=William A.|last1=Watkins|first2=Mary Ann|last2=Daher|first3=Gina M.|last3=Reppucci|first4=Joseph E.|last4=George|first5=Darel L.|last5=Martin|first6=Nancy A.|last6=DiMarzio|first7=Damon P.|last7=Gannon|date=2000|title=Seasonality and distribution of whale calls in the North Pacific|journal=Oceanography|volume=13|issue=1|pages=62–67|doi=10.5670/oceanog.2000.54|url=https://tos.org/oceanography/assets/docs/13-1_watkins.pdf|access-date=2020-02-18|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429193056/https://tos.org/oceanography/assets/docs/13-1_watkins.pdf|archive-date=2019-04-29|doi-access=free}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.whoi.edu/cms/images/oceanus/2005/5/v44n1-briefs12en_10079.jpg Map of the 52-hertz whale's migration patterns]

[[Category:Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Sound measurements]]

{{Sourceattribution|52-hertz whale}}

Physics:52-hertz whale - Revision history

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