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Astronomy and Sonification
"Astronomy is leading the way in making science more accessible through sonification - and the results sound amazing!"
Do you have a student who is interested in or might be interested in astronomy? Wondering how to make those science courses more accessible?
Sonification
“We are long past the era of observers huddling at the eyepiece of a giant telescope. Today, most astronomical studies begin as readings of light broken down by intensity and wavelength, digitized and sorted in whatever manner proves most useful.” (MIT Technology Review) Sonification, using sounds to convey information, is a manner being used to make astronomy accessible. Let’s take a look at how sounds can be used to understand things in space. . .
Ever wondered what a black hole might sound like? MIT astrophysicist Dr. Kyle Keane shares his sonic representations of light echoing off hot gas around a black hole:
“Astronomy is leading the way in making science more accessible through sonification – and the results sound amazing.” Corey S. Powell
How Sounds Can Turn Us On to the Wonders of the Universe is a wonderful article on the MIT Technology Review website. The article talks about astronomy, various groups that are using sonification with astronomy and other sciences, and includes information about the work of various astrophysicists and other scientists who are blind and or have low vision with links to their work. This is a great resource for educators and for students who are interested in astronomy and other sciences!
Resources
There are numerous space/astronomy related posts -many with accessible lessons – that include sonification on Paths to Technology. The Sonification Summary Page is updated when new posts are published. Kimberly Arcand, mentioned in the MIT article, has written posts for Paths to Technology about her work with NASA to develop audio versions of results from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory which includes accessible astronomy lessons!
Back to Paths to Technology’s Home page
