Touching the Sky



January 17, 2008 at 12:34 pm | Leave a Comment

Astronomy for Everybody


Noreen Grice is one of the most amazing individuals I know. She works at the Boston Museum of Science and has single-handedly brought astronomy to people who can’t see the stars. Noreen took the unheard-of idea of teaching visual astronomy to the blind by using Braille books. Her first one was Touch the Stars. That one has been followed by Touch the Universe and Touch the Sun. Now, her latest book, Touch the Invisible Universe is coming out, according to a press release that is showing up at various NASA-funded sites. It is being distributed by NASA to schools for the blind, and various libraries where it will be a resource for visually impaired people.When it comes to ultraviolet, x-ray, gamma-ray, radio, and infrared radiation, we’re all blind to the universe in those wavelengths. So, I think it’s pretty cool that Noreen has taken a subject within astronomy that gives ALL of us an insight to things we can’t otherwise see (wavelengths beyond visible (optical) light), and explains it all in a book that uses Braille, large print, and tactile “graphics” of astronomical objects, for those who cannot see at all. Astronomy is for everybody, and Noreen’s new book brings that lesson home in an unforgettable way.




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Copyright 2008, Carolyn Collins Petersen
Inama Nushif!
Image of Horsehead Nebula: T.A.Rector (NOAO/AURA/NSF) and Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA/NASA)

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