While some scientists at Harvard are working to turn light into sound by way of an Arduino, you don’t have to get so high-tech to experience the solar eclipse that will occur on August 21. NASA and other organizations have developed fun and unique ways for people to experience the eclipse with all of their senses. Check out the following resources so you can experience this rare event.

Getting a Feel for Eclipses
With support from NASA, scientists and artists have come together to create a tactile guide to eclipses. The two page book includes the path of the eclipse over a map of the United States, and graphs to represent the position of the sun, moon, and earth in relation to one another during the eclipse. NASA has provided these books to schools and libraries for the blind, science centers and museums, state libraries, NASA centers and other institutions. Contact your local libraries or science centers to find out if they have the books available.

Eclipse Soundscapes
NASA’s Heliophysics Education Consortium is working to create an app that will let users hear and feel the eclipse. According to the Eclipse Soundscapes website, “Soundscapes change dramatically as the Moon passes between the Earth and Sun.” For example, nocturnal animals wake up and start to emit their calls during the brief period of darkness. Eclipse Soundscapes project will work to gather recordings of these changes during the eclipse and make the recordings available to users following the event. You can participate by providing your own sound recording to the sound database. Learn more about submitting your recording at EclipseSoundscapes.org.

You don’t have to wait until after the eclipse to experience it with Eclipse Soundscapes. The app will provide narration of the eclipse’s progression based on your location. The app will also feature a “rumble map” that will allow you to feel the qualities of the eclipse using your phone’s touch screen and vibrations.

Be a part of this fascinating celestial event that everyone will be talking about! Check out these resources and follow #Eclipse2017 on social media to join the conversation. Enjoy!