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The sky belongs to everyone.

LightSound enables b/Blind and low-vision people to experience the total eclipse.

Image of the total eclipse in 3 stages
Image of the total eclipse in 3 stages. © Vito Technology, Inc.
I want students to be able to hear the eclipse, to hear the stars.

As someone whose personality was influenced by an obsession with outer space from the ages of 5-7 - Jupiter, especially, and its big red spot - it goes without saying,

I'm excited.

When I press send on this email, totality in my area will be happening in 7 hours and 19 minutes.

This is a once-in-a-life-time event that everybody should get to experience.

Designed by astronomers in collaboration with blind astronomer Wanda Díaz-Merced, LightSound is an exciting new handheld gadget that enables Blind and low-vision people to experience the eclipse naturally as it unfolds by converting changing light intensity into musical sounds.

When the moon passes between the sun and the Earth today, LightSound listeners will go on a real-time auditory journey, as delicate flute notes give way to clarinet and then low clicking sounds to illustrate darkness. 

What does an eclipse sound like? This device lets blind people hear the changing light | CBC Radio
A solar eclipse is a sight to behold. But this year, hundreds of people across North America will be able to listen to the rare celestial event, thanks to a device designed by Harvard astronomers.

Where to listen?
The team sent LightSound devices to several Canadian institutions, all noted on an online map, including the Montreal Science Centre, the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, and the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.

For those outside the path, the LightSound team is also planning to livestream the celestial event and share the sounds from various sites. The stream will be hosted by the American Council for the Blind.

The LightSound Project

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