Blind, visually impaired can hear April’s solar eclipse with new device

As the total solar eclipse crosses North America from Texas to Maine in April, blind or visually-impaired people will have the opportunity to experience this cosmic event through sound, thanks to a device called LightSound. Developed by the Harvard University Astronomy Lab and blind astronomer Wanda Diaz-Merced, LightSound translates ambient light into sound, offering a new way to experience an eclipse.

“We developed a device called the LightSound that essentially takes light and converts it to sound as a tool for the blind and visually impaired,” Allyson Bieryla, manager of the Astronomy Lab, explained.

This innovative technology will be available at public gatherings, enabling those who cannot see the eclipse to hear it instead.

Wanda Diaz Merced analyses gravitational waves from explosions of massive stars by converting them into ‘chirps’. https://t.co/Wy23r9Z9HS

— nature (@Nature) August 30, 2021

The device works by converting the varying levels of light during an eclipse into different sounds: flute tones represent bright daylight, a clarinet sounds as the light dims during the eclipse and soft clicks signal the total eclipse phase when the moon completely obscures the sun.

“So one option, you can hook this up to a speaker, and then you can project the sound to an entire group,” Bieryla said, detailing how the device mimics the eclipse’s progression through sound. “As the sun is changing, this would be like the bright light of the sun. And then as it starts to dim, it goes away and the sound gets lower. And then the shadow comes in and it gets even lower and starts clicking.”

The LightSound sonification device-building workshop is off to a fantastic start! Thanks so much @UTAstronomy for hosting and to all involved in organizing! pic.twitter.com/P4u6vnqcHd

— McDonald Observatory (@mcdonaldobs) January 28, 2024

Initially starting with three devices for the 2017 eclipse, the team aims to distribute at least 750 LightSound devices this year to locations in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. This effort is part of a larger goal to make astronomy more accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to see.

“This device isn’t just for a blind or low-vision person,” Bieryla said. “It could also be a tool for a person that engages with data differently.”

For those interested in creating their own LightSound device, the creators welcome individuals with soldering skills to take on the project, offering open-source code on their website.