Title: Sounds of the Spectrum
Abstract: For thousands of years, astronomers have used their vision to study astrophysical phenomena. This follows naturally from the wealth of information we receive in the optical band, yet as we explore further into regimes inaccessible by the human eye (x-ray, far-UV, gravitational waves) we continue to interpret this data visually. This eliminates the ~1.3 billion people living with visual impairments from practicing astrophysics and sharing in its discoveries. I will first discuss work done in 2016 by myself and a colleage, Jackie Bertone, to convert astrophysical data to sound by shifting emission frequencies of different elements. I will then describe a series of interactive demonstrations we created for an exhibit at the Story of Space Festival in Goa, India, in November 2016. Finally, I will discuss future directions for the project.
