9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Once there was a star,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
like everything else, she was born[br]grilled (?) to be about 30x

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the mass of our sun

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and lived for a very long time.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Exactly how long?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
People cannot really tell.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Just like everything in life,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
she reached the end of her[br]regular star days

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when her heart, the core of her life,[br]exhausted its fuel.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But that was no end.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
she transformed into a supernovae,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and in the process, releasing a tremendous[br]of energy,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
outshining the rest of the galaxy,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and emitting, in one second,[br]the same amount of energy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
our sun will release in 10 days.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And she evolved into another role[br]in our galaxy.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Supernovae explosions are very extreme.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But the ones that emit gamma rays[br]are even more extreme.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In the process of becoming[br]a supernovae,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the interior of the star collaposes[br]under its own weight.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And it starts rotating ever-faster.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Like an ice skater when pulling[br]their arms in close to their body.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In that way, it starts rotating very fast[br]and it increases, powerfully,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
its magnetic field.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The matter around the star[br]is dragged around,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and some energy from that rotation[br]is transferred to that matter

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the magnetic field is increased[br]even further.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In that way, our star had extra energy[br]to outshine the rest of the galaxy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in brightness and gamma ray emission.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
My star, the one in my story,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
became what is known as a magnetar.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And just for your information,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the magnetic field of a magnetar[br]is 1,000 trillionx

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the magnetic field of earth.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The most energetic events[br]ever measured by astronmers

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
carry the name Gamma Ray Bursts

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because we observe them as bursts[br]or explosions

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
most strongly measured as gamma ray light.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Our star, like the one in our story[br]that became a magnetar,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is detected as a gamma ray burst

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
through the most energetic[br]portion of the explosion.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yet, even though gamma ray bursts[br]are the stongest events

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
ever measured by astronomers,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we cannot see them with our[br]naked eye.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We depend, we rely on other methods

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in order to study this gamma ray light.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We cannot see them with our[br]naked eye.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We can only see an itty bitty tinny[br]portion

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of the electromagnetic spectrum [br]that call visible light.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And beyond that, we rely on other methods.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And as astronomers, we study a wider[br]range of light

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and we depend on other methods to do that.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
On the screen, it may look like this.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You're seeing a plot,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that is a light curve.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's a plot of intensity of light[br]over time.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It is a gamma ray light curve.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Sighted astronomers depend on this[br]kind of plot

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in order to interpret how this[br]light intensity changes over time.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
On the left, you will be seeing [br]the light intensity without a burst,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and on the right, you will be seeing[br]the light intensity with the burst.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Early during my career, I could also[br]see this kind of plot.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But then, I lost my sight, I completely[br]lost my sight

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because of an extended illness,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and with it, I lost the opportunity[br]to see this plot

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the opportunity to do my physics.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It was a very strong transition for me[br]in many ways.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And professionally, it left me[br]without a way to do my science.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I longed to access adn scrutinize[br]this energetic light

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and figure out the astrophysical cost.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I wanted to experience the spacious[br]wonder, the excitement,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the joy produced by the detection [br]of such a titanic celestial event.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I thought long and hard about it.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
When I suddenly realized that all[br]a light curve is

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is a table of numbers converted[br]into a visual plot.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So along with my collaborators,[br]

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we worked really hard and we translated[br]the numbers into sound.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I achieved access to the data,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and today I'm able to do physics[br]at the level of the best astronomer

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
using sound.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And what people have been able to do,[br]mainly visually,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for hundreds of years,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
now I do it using sound.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Applause)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Listening to this gamma ray burst[br]that you're seeing on the --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
thank you --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that you're seeing on the screen,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
brought something to the ear[br]beyond the obvious burst.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Now I'm going to play the burst for you,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's not music, it's sound.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Sound of the plot)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is scientific data converted[br]into sound

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and it's mapped in pitch,[br]the process is called sonification.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So listening to this brought something[br]to the ear

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
besides the obvious burst.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
When I examine the very strong[br]low frequency regions,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or base line,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm zooming into the base line now --[br]or the baseline,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we know that resonances that were[br]characteristic

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of electrically charged gasses[br]like the solar wind.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I want you to hear what I heard.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You will hear it as a very fast[br]decrease in volume.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And because you're sighted,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm giving you a red line indicating[br]to you

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what intensity of light is being[br]converted into sound.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Sound)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The (whistle) is frogs at home,[br]don't pay attention to that.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Sound)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I think you heard it, right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So what we found is that the bursts[br]last long enough

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in order to support wave resonances,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which are things caused by exchanges[br]of energy between particles

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that may have been excited[br]that depend on the volume.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You may remember that I said[br]that the matter around the star

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is dragged around?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It transmits power with frequency[br]and field distribution that

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
are ?? by the dimensions

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And you may remember that[br]we were talking about

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a supermassive star that became[br]a very strong magnetic field magnetar.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If this is the case, then outflows[br]from the exploding star

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
may be associated with this [br]gamma ray burst.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What does that mean?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
That star formation may be [br]a very important part

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of this supernovae explosion.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Listening to this very gamma ray burst

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
brought us to the notion that the use[br]of sound

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as a adjunctive visual display

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
may also support sighted astronomers[br]in the search

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for more information in the data.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Simultaneously, I worked on analyzing[br]measurements from other telescopes

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and my experiments demonstrated[br]that when you use sound

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as an adjunctive visual display,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
astronomers can find more information

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in this now more accessible data set.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And this ability to transform data[br]into sound[br]

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
gives astronomy a tremendous power[br]of transformation.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And the fact that a field that is[br]so visual may be improved

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in order to include anyone with interest[br]what in heaven lies

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is a spirit-lifter.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
When I lost my sight,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I noticed that I didn't have access[br]to the same amount

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and quality of information[br]a sighted astronomer had.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It was not until we innovated[br]with the sonification process

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that I regained the hope[br]of being a productive member

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of the field that I have worked[br]so hard to be part of.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yet, information access is not [br]the only area in astronomy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
where this is important.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The situation is systemic

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and scientific fields are not[br]keeping up.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The body is something changeable --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
anyone may develop a disability[br]at any point.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And let's think about, for example,[br]scientists who are

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
already at the top of their careers,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what happens to them if they develop[br]a disability?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Will they feel excommunicated [br]as I did?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Information access empowers[br]us to flourish.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It gives us equal opportunities to display[br]our talents

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and choose what we want to do[br]with our lives

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
based on interest and not based[br]on potential barriers.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
When we give people the opportunity[br]to succeed without limits,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that will lead to personal fulfillment[br]and prospering life.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I think that the use of sound[br]in astronomy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is helping us to achieve that[br]and to contribute to science.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
While other countries told me[br]that the study of perception techniques

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in order to study astronomy data[br]is not relevant to astronomy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because there are no bling astronomers[br]in the field,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
South Africa said, "We want people[br]with disabilities

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to contribute to the field."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Right now, I'm working at the [br]South African Astronomical Observatory

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
at the office of Astronomy [br]for Development.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
There, we are working on[br]sonification techniques

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and analysis methods[br]to impact the students

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of the Athlone School for the Blind.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The se students will be learning [br]radio astornomy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and they will be learning[br]the sonification methods

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in order to study astronomical events[br]like huge ejections of energy