Skip to main content
  • Accessibility
  • Headlines
  • Coronavirus-News
  • Get-Hooked
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Parasports
  • Ask Bhavna
  • NHBrandView
  • Independent Living
  • Lifestyle
  • NH Videos
×
Newz Hook – Changing Attitudes towards Disability Logo
  • Stories
  • Videos
  • Inclusive
  • NH Voice
  • Login
COVID-19 Notification by Government in Accessible Format

Accessibility Tools

Text Size:

Contrast Scheme:

  • C
  • C

Reset

  • Home
  • Accessibility
  • Mysteries of deep space come alive for visually impaired people at the British Science Festival

Mysteries of deep space come alive for visually impaired people at the British Science Festival

Accessibility September 20, 2019
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

The night sky with the many stars and constellations is beautiful to witness and bringing that experience alive for blind and low vision people is a show at the British Science Festival called A Dark Tour of the Universe.

The deep space is mysterious and beautiful and bringing that alive for blind and low vision people is a new show at the British Science Festival currently on at the University of Warwick.

Called A Dark Tour of the Universe, the show is a collaboration between Chris Harrison, Fellow, European Southern Observatory (ESO) and Dr Nicolas Boone, a visually impaired astronomer at the University of Portsmouth.

The show offers a tactile experience of the universe by using 3D models of astronomical images and the non-speech audio of real astronomical datasets. Sighted visitors will be encouraged to witness the show blindfolded.

Born in Australia, Dr Bonne dreamed of becoming an astronomer ever since he was a little boy. In an interview in the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation newsletter, he said:

I’ve had my eye condition from birth, and I decided that I wanted to be an astronomer at the very young age of 5. My parents and teachers were pretty supportive and they did everything that they could to help me learn about what is fundamentally a very visual science. This wasn’t always easy though, and this was often due to limited accessible astronomy resources for people with vision impairments. In astronomy books and TV shows, whenever anybody wants to talk about how awe inspiring the Universe is, they tend to show beautiful pictures of space to make their point. I wanted to make something that could help to inspire and teach people in the same way, regardless of whether they can see or not. – Dr Nicolas Bonne, Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth

Dr Bonne leads The Tactile Universe, an award-winning public engagement project at the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, that is making astrophysics research accessible to people with vision impairments. The project focuses on children between the ages of nine to 14. It involves a series of 3D printed images of galaxies that allow blind and visually impaired children to ‘see’ the Universe by feeling the shapes of these astronomical objects. It is now available throughout Britain, for schools and others to engage with science.

The A Dark Tour of the Universe show will eventually be made publicly available, so people can listen to space from computers and tablets at home.“We wanted to find new ways of opening up the drama and majesty of space to a wider audience”, said Dr Bonne.

In A Dark Tour of the Universe, the brightness of stars’, colour and position in the sky are all reimagined as volume, with louder sounds for brighter stars, and tone to indicate colour. Use of surround sound ensures the position of stars is captured.

Using real data of position, magnitudes and colours of stars, a beautiful surround-sound effect is created, allowing the audience to listen to the stars appear. Show highlights include listening to variable stars or to galaxies merging and feeling 3D models of the first picture of a black hole and the 360-degree panoramic image of the Milky Way. James Reevell, a musician and teacher, has created all the music for the show.

Vineet Saraiwala, an avid marathoner who spends a lot of time outdoors, has vivid memories of the time spent watching the night sky before he started losing his vision. “It has been ages since I have seen the twinkling stars in the sky and I leave it to my imagination to visualise the sky.” An experience like A Dark Tour, he says would be something quite wonderful. “Sometimes fellow companions describe it to me during cycling but it would really be wonderful to see it yourself.”

Read More: University of Portsmouth

Support us to make NewzHook Sustainable – Make a Contribution Today

We need your continued support to enable us work towards Changing Attitudes towards Disability. Help us in our attempt to share the voices of people with disabilities that enable them to participate in the society on an equal footing!

Contribute to Newz Hook

NH Videos

Healing pain through art - Dr. Anubha Mahajan, Founder Chronic Pain India

Contribue to Newz Hook |Disability news. Support us to make NewzHook Sustainable – Make a Contribution Today.

Newsletter

 Subscribe to our Newsletter

Want to feature disability stories or share disability news with the disabled community? Write to:

editor@newzhook.com

Newz Hook - Accessible News

Download App Now!

Videos

View More

Get-hooked

Veruschka Foundation starts online cooking modules for people with developmental disabilities

Technology

Auticare uses virtual reality-based therapy to help children with autism develop critical skills

Get-hooked

Understanding Spinal Cord Injury- SCI

Get-hooked

#DisabilityInfluencers - Aspiring doctor Chandni Nair loves the power of TikTok

Newz Hook Logo

About Newz Hook

Newz Hook | Disability News - media site focusing on Disability Stories and Changing Attitudes towards Disability globally. We highlight disability news, offer inclusive solutions and create accessible collaborations. Our focus is to have Inclusion Champions from across the globe who will share disability stories and news.
Lets come together to change attitudes towards disability!

Newz Hook is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Follow us on:

Related Links

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Partner with Newz Hook
  • Embed Newz Hook Timeline
  • Affiliate disclosure
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Contribute to Newz Hook

Our Awards

Zero Project Award Winner 2018
Back To Top
© 2019 All Right Reserved. Inclusive News India Private Limited.

Ask Bhavna

All fields are mandatory unless specified as optional.