Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 26
ORBITS: BEATRIZ INGLESSIS / S&T, TRAPPIST-1 MUSIC: MATT RUSSO & ANDREW
SANTAGUIDA; ABSTRACT WAVE BACKGROUND: VECTORSTUFF / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
MULTISENSORY ASTRONOMY by Isabel Swafford
g
c
b
f
e
d
Seeing
the Universe
Without Sight
Creative minds are finding ways to explore
and share the wonders of the cosmos
without visual aids.
L
ook up at the night sky and then close your eyes. The
twinkling stars and distant worlds disappear.
Now imagine you hear a repeating piano note.
Rhythmic and regular, it tolls like a bell.
A new note interrupts the drone, adding itself to the noise.
Higher in pitch, it comes in at a slightly faster tempo. A few
beats later more notes chime in, each higher in pitch and
speed. Finally, the last note arrives as staccato pings, beeping
like a metal detector over hidden treasure.
The instruments making this cacophony are the Trappist-1
exoplanets, a system of seven alien planets orbiting a red
dwarf star 40 light-years away from us.
Scientists created the beeps and boops of Trappist-1
through data sonification, a process that mathematically
translates data into sound. They used the exoplanets' orbital
periods to choose each pitch: They assigned the longest orbit
to a low note - specifically C3, one octave below middle C -
26 MARCH 2024 * SKY & TELESCOPE
h
and then scaled the other orbits to higher pitches based on
their frequency relationship with one another.
The resulting sonification is more than an engaging
educational tool. It's a door that opens up the whole universe
like never before.
Astronomy as we know it has been built upon a visual
language. From scientific charts and complicated graphs to
planetarium shows and 20-million-pixel images, the mainstream
way to do astronomy is with our eyes.
But for audiences who are blind or have low vision,
expressing the beauty of the cosmos in this way renders it
inaccessible.
Although humans began astronomy by looking at the
heavens, our experience of the universe doesn't necessarily
have to be communicated in visual ways. And since much
of the light in the universe is beyond what humans can
see, astronomers are already cosmic translators when they
present what they've detected. Every day, they methodically
combine telescope observations from across the spectrum,
from radio waves to X-rays, to visualize the universe.
A growing number of astronomers, educators, and advocates
are working to expand those translation efforts to new
http://www.SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Sky & Telescope - March 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - March 2024
Contents
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - Cover1
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - Cover2
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 1
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - Contents
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 3
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 4
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 5
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 6
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 7
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 8
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 9
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 10
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 11
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 12
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 13
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 14
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 15
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 16
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 17
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 18
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 19
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 20
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 21
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 22
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 23
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 24
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 25
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 26
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 27
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 28
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 29
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 30
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 31
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 32
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 33
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 34
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 35
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 36
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 37
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 38
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 39
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 40
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 41
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 42
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 43
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 44
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 45
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 46
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 47
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 48
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 49
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 50
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 51
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 52
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 53
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 54
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 55
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 56
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 57
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 58
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 59
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 60
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 61
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 62
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 63
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 64
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 65
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 66
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 67
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 68
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 69
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 70
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 71
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 72
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 73
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 74
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 75
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 76
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 77
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 78
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 79
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 80
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 81
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 82
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 83
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 84
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - Cover3
Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202404_qr
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202401_aus
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202312_aus
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202304_qr
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/skywatch_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201907
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201906
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201811
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_mars
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201001
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com