CEFCA and Enrique Pérez Montero propose to close the eyes for discovering the Universe
Enrique Pérez Montero is able to relate what an eclipse sounds like, he talks about cat's eye nebulae and demonstrates that it is possible to be blind and an astrophysicist. The story of this CSIC scientific researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA) is coming to Teruel in the form of two activities to be held on Wednesday 15th January. On the one hand, a workshop for blind people will allow those attending to touch the sky on a winter night. In the afternoon, a talk open to the public will demonstrate that we can approach the stars only by means of our sense of hearing.
Enrique Pérez Montero's scientific career is linked to the research group ‘Star formation bursts in galaxies’, which involves astrophysicists from all over the world. This group is at the forefront in explaining the impact of massive stars on galaxies and, in particular, in measuring the amount of chemical elements that enrich them. A retinitis pigmentosa caused him to lose his sight as his articles (more than 180) and his contract to work at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía progressed. This has also led him to lead an outreach project called Accessible Astronomy, which argues that science can and should be accessible to everyone.
Accessible astronomy, the Universe in your hands
This is the title of the workshop he will be giving in the Assembly Hall of the ONCE Foundation Agency in Teruel (Calle República Argentina 1) at 12:00 on 15 January. This activity simulates the observation of the night sky in the northern hemisphere. One of the clichés that Enrique Pérez Montero dismantles is that astrophysicists continue to look directly at the sky. The transfer of a multitude of data from space telescopes or observation at wavelengths invisible to the human eye means, Pérez defines, that we are all equally blind to the Universe.
This workshop aims to overcome the difficulties that exist for field observation due to the poor lighting conditions of the urban sky and, at the same time, to break down the barriers to accessing visual information about the sky for the visually impaired. To this end, half-spheres with reliefs representing the brightest stars and constellations in the sky are used to provide an alternative, multi-sensory approach to astronomy. This methodology also has an impact on the abstraction necessary to understand astronomical scales and raises awareness for the inclusion of people with disabilities.
The sounds of galaxies
How well do we understand the complexity of a galaxy? This question motivates the talk to be given by the scientist Enrique Pérez in the Assembly Hall of the Vice-rectorate of the Teruel Campus (17.30 h.). We have more and more beautiful and precise images of galaxies and, at the same time, it is difficult to understand their components and how these agglomerations of millions of stars are the most elementary systems on which the Universe is based. Enrique Pérez reviews the main ideas about galaxies, but in a new way. He relies not only on images, but also on sounds and sonifications. He has recorded, for example, the changes generated by an eclipse and explains technologies that transform light into sound. This self-taught artist also adds his own experience and his ability to disseminate information, thus proposing an inclusive way of teaching science and broadening our perspective. A project designed for the general public but which can be applied to other scientific fields or teaching.
This astrophysicist is always accompanied by his guide dog and is a firm believer that difficulties can almost always be overcome. His scientific experience, he says, is that research groups are more creative the more diverse they are, and he is determined to continue contributing to explaining the first phases of the Universe. He collaborates in various scientific projects of the Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón (CEFCA), which has organised these activities aimed at giving everyone access to science.