Listen to the Universe with the Chandra X-ray Observatory Virtual Panel and Discussion
Brought to you by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled Library of Congress
NASA’s Universe of Learning & NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
For millennia, humans looked to the skies and yearned to understand what’s beyond.
Today, we have sophisticated and powerful telescopes on the ground and in space that
let us do this like never before. Until recently, however, most of us were limited to
understanding and learning about space with a single sense: vision. Now we have
entered a new era where we can use sound and touch to expand our exploration of the
cosmos. This event will feature some of the latest ways – from 3D models to
sonifications and more – that we have developed to discover all that the Universe has to
offer. Let’s head to the stars with the Library of Congress and NASA!
Dr. Kimberly Arcand has been a visualization scientist at NASA’s Chandra X-ray
Observatory for over 25 years. She is an expert in data processing and has been an innovator
in 3D imaging, printing, and extended reality applications with high-energy astrophysics data.
Dr. Wanda Diaz Merced received a doctorate in computer science from the University of
Glasgow, Scotland. She specializes in the use of audio to study space science telemetry and
has worked for over 15 years on establishing a framework for sound to be used in scientific data
analysis.
Sarah Kane is a PhD student at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of
Cambridge, where she primarily studies Galactic archeology, with a particular focus on globular
cluster-origin stars in the Milky Way field. She also has an active interest in data sonification and
the accessibility of science to people with disabilities.
Christine Malec is a member of the blind community with a lifelong passion for
astronomy and space travel. She is committed to making astronomy more accessible to people
of all abilities.
Jason Broughton has been director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print
Disabled since 2021. The former State Librarian of Vermont, he is responsible for the oversight
and administration of NLS, including the expansion of digital delivery of services and its ongoing
modernization efforts.
NASA’s Universe of Learning and NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory produced, and the
Library of Congress is currently distributing, 3D print kits on the life of stars, with full 3D models
of 3 different stellar objects (the pulsar Crab Nebula, massive star Eta Carinae, and star
formation region known as the Pillars of Creation) for library hubs in each US state/district.
Each stellar object also has a rich visual description and sonification (translation of data into
sound) to accompany it. To go along with the kits, the Library of Congress is co-hosting with
NASA this online panel with experts in astronomy, data, and/or accessibility from the blind and
low-vision community.
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