There are many ways to explore the cosmos. Chandra Observatory’s Tactile Universe provides materials that are accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired through Braille, tactile techniques, 3D printing, audio, and more: chandra.si.edu/tactile/ #WorldBrailleDay

Loving the alt text image descriptions!

Still exciting to see image descriptions written by JJ Hunt with a spec of consultancy from me, posted where everyone can read them. We're in the alt text!

Here's a link where you can hear the full description spoken in rich, buttery audio. chandra.si.edu/photo/2023/30d…

Today Chandra is gazing at a galaxy in the constellation Lupus, the wolf. Nearby in the sky is galaxy NGC 5643. Located about 55 million light-years from Earth, the core of this galaxy glows brightly in X-rays where a supermassive black hole is feeding on vast amounts of matter.

I was heartened to here a scientist with decades of visualization science under her belt say recently that she too is overwhelmed by distance and scale. And you can always count on Chandra for alt text!

Look for the, play, button, and the explanation below.

Chariklo has two thin rings — the first rings ever detected (in 2013) around a small Solar System object. When Webb observed the occultation, scientists measured dips in the brightness of the star. These dips corresponded exactly as predicted to the shadows of Chariklo’s rings.

As rocks and dust conglomerate into a planet orbitting a star, so this account follows the laws of the universe and processes to Mastidon. It can be found at [email protected]

Ah lovely!

Great to see descriptions of infographics as well as images in the alt text!

And like a new bright star added to the firmament, another description-rich astronomy gem from Josh Urban, mixaphorically speaking.

Today Chandra is studying galaxies in Cygnus. Nearby in the sky is a supernova remnant called the Cygnus Loop. This close-up image from Hubble shows a small section of the Cygnus supernova blast wave, which continues to expand at roughly 350 kilometers per second.

Such a nice mix of science and description here, plus the pervasive love of the act of observing.

Ah alt text, it gives us so much!

mmm, and even infographics!

When my third party ap is snuffed out, probably tomorrow, I'll be waving goodbye to Twitter. This account can be found on Mastodon at [email protected]

In the very middle of this #HubbleFriday image is a galaxy... but you might have to look very closely to find it. The newly discovered dwarf galaxy Donatiello II is seen nestled among a smattering of distant stars and even more distant galaxies: go.nasa.gov/3DUC4bb

Oo, two of my favourite subjects, music and astronomy! Amid the description, there's a lovely little bit about what it's like to observe the same object over weeks. Objects move in the sky! Of course I know this, everybody does, but hearing it described is sweet.

Ah the periodic table, like a blueprint for existance. Are there things we still don't know? I hope so.