How a blind astronomer found a way to hear the stars | Wanda Diaz Merced

Prevoditelj: Dunja Knežević Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

Once there was a star.

Bila jednom jedna zvijezda.

Like everything else, she was born;

Kao i sve ostalo, rođena je;

grew to be around 30 times the mass of our sun

narasla je oko 30 puta većom od našeg Sunca

and lived for a very long time.

i dugo je poživjela.

Exactly how long,

Koliko točno,

people cannot really tell.

ne možemo znati.

Just like everything in life,

Kao i sve u životu,

she reached the end of her regular star days

došla je do kraja svojih zvjezdanih dana

when her heart, the core of her life,

kada je njezino srce, srž njezina života,

exhausted its fuel.

ostalo bez goriva.

But that was no end.

No to nije bio kraj.

She transformed into a supernova, and in the process

Transformirala se u supernovu,

releasing a tremendous amount of energy,

emitirajući pritom ogromnu količinu energije,

outshining the rest of the galaxy

zasjenila je ostatak galaksije

and emitting, in one second,

u jednoj sekundi emitirajući

the same amount of energy our sun will release in 10 days.

jednaku količinu energije koliku sunce emitira u deset dana.

And she evolved into another role in our galaxy.

Preuzela je drugu ulogu u našoj galaksiji.

Supernova explosions are very extreme.

Eksplozije supernove vrlo su žestoke.

But the ones that emit gamma rays are even more extreme.

No one koje emitiraju gama zrake još su žešće.

In the process of becoming a supernova,

Dok postaje supernova,

the interior of the star collapses under its own weight

unutrašnjost se zvijezde uruši pod vlastitom težinom,

and it starts rotating ever faster,

okrećući se sve brže,

like an ice skater when pulling their arms in close to their body.

poput klizača koji privlači ruke k sebi.

In that way, it starts rotating very fast and it increases, powerfully,

Tako se brže rotira, jako povećavajući

its magnetic field.

svoje magnetsko polje.

The matter around the star is dragged around,

Materija oko zvijezde povlači se za njom

and some energy from that rotation is transferred to that matter

i dio energije od rotacije prenosi se na materiju

and the magnetic field is increased even further.

te se magnetsko polje još povećava.

In that way, our star had extra energy to outshine the rest of the galaxy

Tako zvijezda dobiva energiju kojom može zasjeniti ostatak galaksije

in brightness and gamma ray emission.

svojim sjajem i emisijom gama zraka.

My star, the one in my story,

Moja zvijezda, ona iz moje priče,

became what is known as a magnetar.

naziva se magnetar.

And just for your information,

Informacije radi,

the magnetic field of a magnetar is 1,000 trillion times

magnetsko polje magnetara tisuću je trilijuna puta jače

the magnetic field of Earth.

od magnetskog polja Zemlje.

The most energetic events ever measured by astronomers

Događaji s najvišom razinom energije

carry the name gamma-ray bursts

nazivaju se bljeskovi gama-zračenja

because we observe them as bursts most or explosions,

jer ih vidimo kao bljeskove ili eksplozije,

most strongly measured as gamma-ray light.

a najsnažnije su kao gama-zračenje.

Our star, like the one in our story that became a magnetar,

Naša zvijezda, kao ona iz priče koja je postala magnetar,

is detected as a gamma-ray burst

detektirana je kao gama-bljesak

during the most energetic portion of the explosion.

u najenergetskijem dijelu eksplozije.

Yet, even though gamma-ray bursts are the strongest events

Iako su gama-bljeskovi najsnažniji događaji

ever measured by astronomers,

ikada izmjereni

we cannot see them with our naked eye.

ne možemo ih vidjeti golim okom.

We depend, we rely on other methods

Oslanjamo se na druge metode

in order to study this gamma-ray light.

kod proučavanja gama-zračenja.

We cannot see them with our naked eye.

Ne možemo ih vidjeti golim okom.

We can only see an itty bitty, tiny portion

Možemo vidjeti tek djelić

of the electromagnetic spectrum that we call visible light.

elektromagnetskog spektra koji nazivamo vidljivom svjetlošću.

And beyond that, we rely on other methods.

Za ostalo, oslanjamo se na druge metode.

Yet as astronomers, we study a wider range of light

Mi astronomi, proučavamo širi doseg svjetlosti

and we depend on other methods to do that.

i pri tome koristimo druge metode.

On the screen, it may look like this.

To na ekranu može ovako izgledati.

You're seeing a plot.

Pogledajte graf.

That is a light curve.

To je krivulja svjetlosti.

It's a plot of intensity of light over time.

Graf predstavlja intenzitet svjetlosti u vremenu.

It is a gamma-ray light curve.

To je krivulja gama-zračenja.

Sighted astronomers depend on this kind of plot

Videći astronomi koriste ovakve grafove

in order to interpret how this light intensity changes over time.

kako bi interpretirali promjene intenziteta svjetlosti tijekom vremena.

On the left, you will be seeing the light intensity without a burst,

Lijevo vidite intenzitet svjetlosti bez gama-bljeska,

and on the right, you will be seeing the light intensity with the burst.

a desno intenzitet svjetlosti za vrijeme gama-bljeska.

Early during my career, I could also see this kind of plot.

U ranoj fazi karijere i ja sam mogla vidjeti ovakav graf.

But then, I lost my sight.

No tada sam izgubila vid.

I completely lost my sight because of extended illness,

Izgubila sam vid zbog duge bolesti,

and with it, I lost the opportunity to see this plot

a s vidom sam izgubila mogućnost da vidim ovaj graf

and the opportunity to do my physics.

i da se bavim fizikom.

Za mene je to bilo teško prijelazno razdoblje.

It was a very strong transition for me in many ways.

And professionally, it left me without a way to do my science.

Profesionalno, nisam se više mogla baviti znanošću.

I longed to access and scrutinize this energetic light

Silno sam željela proučavati tu energetsku svjetlost

and figure out the astrophysical cause.

i dokučiti njezin astrofizički uzrok.

I wanted to experience the spacious wonder, the excitement,

Željela sam iskusiti to ogromno čudo, uzbuđenje,

the joy produced by the detection of such a titanic celestial event.

radost koju donosi otkriće takvog divovskog nebeskog otkrića.

I thought long and hard about it,

Dugo sam o tome razmišljala,

when I suddenly realized that all a light curve is,

kada sam shvatila da je krivulja svjetlosti

is a table of numbers converted into a visual plot.

zapravo tablica brojki u obliku vizualnog grafa.

So along with my collaborators,

Zajedno sa suradnicima,

we worked really hard and we translated the numbers into sound.

marljivo sam radila na prevođenju brojeva u zvuk.

I achieved access to the data,

Uspjela sam doći do podataka

and today I'm able to do physics at the level of the best astronomer,

i danas se mogu baviti fizikom na razini najboljeg astronoma,

using sound.

koristeći zvuk.

And what people have been able to do,

I sve što ljudi mogu,

mainly visually,

uglavnom koristeći vid,

for hundreds of years,

stotinama godina,

now I do it using sound.

mogu i ja koristeći zvuk.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

Listening to this gamma-ray burst

Slušanje bljeskova gama-zračenja

that you're seeing on the -- (Applause continues)

koje vidite -- (Pljesak se nastavlja)

Hvala vam.

Thank you.

Listening to this burst that you're seeing on the screen

Slušanje gama-bljeskova koje vidite na ekranu

brought something to the ear beyond the obvious burst.

skrenulo je pažnju na nešto osim samog bljeska.

Now I'm going to play the burst for you.

Sad ću vam pustiti zvučni zapis bljeska.

It's not music, it's sound.

To nije glazba, nego zvuk.

(Digital beeping sounds)

(Digitalni zvučni signal)

This is scientific data converted into sound,

Ovo su znanstveni podaci pretvoreni u zvuk,

and it's mapped in pitch.

tonska visina.

The process is called sonification.

Postupak se zove sonifikacija.

So listening to this brought something to the ear

Slušanjem sam čula još nešto

besides the obvious burst.

osim gama-bljeska.

When I examine the very strong low-frequency regions,

Proučavajući područja niskih frekvencija

or bass line -- I'm zooming into the bass line now.

ili nultu liniju -- upravo povećavam sliku nulte linije.

We noted resonances characteristic of electrically charged gasses

Uočili smo rezonancije uobičajene kod električki nabijenih plinova

like the solar wind.

poput solarnog vjetra.

And I want you to hear what I heard.

Želim da čujete ono što sam ja čula.

You will hear it as a very fast decrease in volume.

Čut ćete to kao jako brzo smanjenje jakosti zvuka.

And because you're sighted, I'm giving you a red line

Možete vidjeti, pa dobivate prikaz crvenom krivuljom

indicating what intensity of light is being converted into sound.

koja prikazuje intenzitet svjetlosti koju se pretvara u zvuk.

(Digital hum and whistling sound)

(Digitalni šum i zvuk zviždanja)

The (Whistles) is frogs at home, don't pay attention to that.

To (zvižduci) su žabe kod kuće, zanemarite ih.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

(Digital hum and whistling sound)

(Digitalni šum i zvuk zviždanja)

I think you heard it, right?

Mislim da ste ga čuli, zar ne?

So what we found

Dakle, otkrili smo

is that the bursts last long enough in order to support wave resonances,

da bljeskovi traju dovoljno dugo za podržavanje rezonancija valova,

which are things caused by exchanges of energy between particles

izazvanih izmjenama energije među česticama,

that may have been excited,

možda pobuđenih,

that depend on the volume.

koji ovise o jakosti zvuka.

You may remember that I said that the matter around the star

Možda se sjećate da sam rekla da se materija oko zvijezde

is dragged around?

povlači za njom?

It transmits power with frequency and field distribution

Odašilje energiju čija je frekvencija i distribucija

determined by the dimensions.

određena njezinim dimenzijama.

You may remember that we were talking about a super-massive star

Govorili smo o super-masivnoj zvijezdi

that became a very strong magnetic field magnetar.

koja je postala magnetar sa snažnim magnetskim poljem.

If this is the case, then outflows from the exploding star

Ako je to točno, ostatke eksplodirane zvijezde

may be associated with this gamma-ray burst.

možemo povezati s ovim gama-bljeskom.

What does that mean?

Što to znači?

That star formation may be a very important part

Formiranje zvijezda može biti važan dio

of these supernova explosions.

ovih eksplozija supernove.

Listening to this very gamma-ray burst brought us to the notion

Slušanje ovog gama-bljeska navelo nas je na pomisao

that the use of sound as an adjunctive visual display

da korištenje zvuka kao dodatnog vizualnog prikaza

may also support sighted astronomers

može pomoći i videćim astronomima

in the search for more information in the data.

u potrazi za dodatnim informacijama.

Simultaneously, I worked on analyzing measurements from other telescopes,

Istovremeno, analizirala sam mjerenja drugih teleskopa

and my experiments demonstrated

i moji su pokusi pokazali

that when you use sound as an adjunctive visual display,

da uporabom zvuka kao dodatnog vizualnog zaslona

astronomers can find more information

astronomi mogu pronaći više informacija

in this now more accessible data set.

u ovom pristupačnijem skupu podataka.

This ability to transform data into sound

Ova sposobnost pretvaranja podataka u zvuk

gives astronomy a tremendous power of transformation.

astronomiji daje ogromnu moć transformacije.

And the fact that a field that is so visual may be improved

A činjenica da se područje toliko usmjereno na vid može poboljšati

in order to include anyone with interest in understanding what lies in the heavens

kako bi uključilo sve koji žele razumjeti što se krije u nebesima,

is a spirit-lifter.

ohrabrujuća je.

When I lost my sight,

Kada sam izgubila vid,

I noticed that I didn't have access

primijetila sam da nemam pristup

to the same amount and quality of information

istoj količini i kvaliteti informacija

a sighted astronomer had.

kao videći astronomi.

It was not until we innovated with the sonification process

Tek kada smo osmislili postupak sonifikacije,

that I regained the hope to be a productive member of the field

vratila mi se nada da ću biti produktivan član u području

that I had worked so hard to be part of.

u koje sam uložila toliko truda.

Yet, information access is not the only area in astronomy

Pristup informacijama nije jedino područje u astronomiji

where this is important.

gdje je ovo važno.

The situation is systemic

Situacija je sistemska

and scientific fields are not keeping up.

i znanstvena područja ne idu ukorak s vremenom.

The body is something changeable --

Tijelo je promjenjivo --

anyone may develop a disability at any point.

svatko može postati osoba s invaliditetom.

Let's think about, for example,

Zamislimo, na primjer,

scientists that are already at the top of their careers.

znanstvenike koji su već na vrhuncu svojih karijera.

What happens to them if they develop a disability?

Što će im se dogoditi ako postanu osobe s invaliditetom?

Will they feel excommunicated as I did?

Hoće li se osjećati izopćeno poput mene?

Information access empowers us to flourish.

Pristup informacijama omogućuje nam da napredujemo.

It gives us equal opportunities to display our talents

Daje nam jednake prilike da pokažemo svoje talente

and choose what we want to do with our lives,

i izaberemo što želimo postići u životu,

based on interest and not based on potential barriers.

temeljem interesa, a ne mogućih prepreka.

When we give people the opportunity to succeed without limits,

Kada ljudima pružimo priliku da uspiju bez ograničavanja,

that will lead to personal fulfillment and prospering life.

to vodi osobnom ispunjenju i produktivnom životu.

And I think that the use of sound in astronomy

Mislim da nam uporaba zvuka u astronomiji

is helping us to achieve that and to contribute to science.

pomaže da to ostvarimo kao i da doprinesemo znanosti.

While other countries told me that the study of perception techniques

Dok su druge zemlje govorile da proučavanje tehnika percepcije

in order to study astronomy data is not relevant to astronomy

s ciljem proučavanja podataka iz astronomije nije svrsishodno

because there are no blind astronomers in the field,

jer nema slijepih astronoma,

South Africa said, "We want people with disabilities

Južna Afrika rekla je: "Želimo da osobe s invaliditetom

to contribute to the field."

pridonesu području."

Right now, I'm working

Trenutno radim

at the South African Astronomical Observatory,

u Južnoafričkom astronomskom opservatoriju

at the Office of Astronomy for Development.

u Odjelu za razvoj astronomije.

There, we are working on sonification techniques and analysis methods

Ondje razvijamo tehnike sonifikacije i metode analize

to impact the students of the Athlone School for the Blind.

kako bi pomogli učenicima Athlone, škole za slijepe .

These students will be learning radio astronomy,

Ti će učenici učiti radioastronomiju,

and they will be learning the sonification methods

kao i metode sonifikacije,

in order to study astronomical events like huge ejections of energy

kako bi proučavali astronomske događaje poput velikih erupcija energije

from the sun, known as coronal mass ejections.

iz sunca, poznate kao koronarne masovne erupcije.

What we learn with these students --

Ono što budemo učili s učenicima,

these students have multiple disabilities and coping strategies

oni imaju višestruke teškoće i poteškoće sa suočavanjem

that will be accommodated --

koje ćemo uvažiti --

what we learn with these students will directly impact

ono što naučimo s ovim učenicima izravno će utjecati

the way things are being done at the professional level.

na način rada na profesionalnoj razini.

I humbly call this development.

Skromno to nazivam razvojem.

And this is happening right now.

To se događa sada.

I think that science is for everyone.

Mislim da je znanost namijenjena svima.

It belongs to the people,

Pripada ljudima,

and it has to be available to everyone,

i treba biti dostupna svima

because we are all natural explorers.

jer smo svi po prirodi istraživači.

I think that if we limit people with disabilities

Budemo li ograničavali osobe s invaliditetom

from participating in science,

u sudjelovanju u znanoti,

we'll sever our links with history and with society.

oštetit ćemo naže veze s poviješću i društvom.

I dream of a level scientific playing field,

Sanjam o jednakopravnosti u znanosti,

where people encourage respect and respect each other,

o tome da ljudi potiču poštivanje i poštuju jedni druge,

where people exchange strategies and discover together.

o tome da ljudi razmjenjuju strategije i zajedno otkrivaju.

If people with disabilities are allowed into the scientific field,

Ako osobama s invaliditetom otvorimo put u znanost,

an explosion, a huge titanic burst of knowledge will take place,

dogodit će se eksplozija, divovska erupcija znanja.

I am sure.

Sigurna sam u to.

(Digital beeping sounds)

(Digitalni zvučni signal)

That is the titanic burst.

To je divovska erupcija.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)