Are you ready for the total eclipse? For two hours, from Oregon to South Carolina, the moon will move between Earth and sun. Then, in much of the country, it will go dark, especially in totality areas. But what does this have to do with technology? Here’s how technology helps you watch the total eclipse.
So take men like astrophysicist Henry Winter. He talked to a blind co-worker about the eclipse. Then he go an idea, and put it into action. Winter and his colleagues came up with Eclipse Soundscapes. That’s an app that helps visually impaired people enjoy the coming eclipse. Also, it’s already on Apple and Google stores. So how will Eclipse Soundscapes do this?
They’ll do it through spoken description. There will be a voice over option either through a smartphone or through app recording. This app will give a play-by-play of what the eclipse is doing. Furthermore, it will be so descriptive that it will feel like they’re sitting in a totality location. It also includes a special map. This map uses touch to on the sun’s picture. When they touch the picture, they will hear noises. This allows the user to interpret the eclipse in his/her own way. Winter and his team hopes to use Eclipse Soundscapes for future space based events.
That’s just one example of how IT support and technology mark the eclipse. There are others. For example, Google’s front page has a cartoon of two aliens playing with the moon, creating an eclipse. You know your Facebook and Twitter pages will have people covering it, especially if you’re in the totality zone. On You Tube, countless channels also cover the event. And of course, you can watch coverage on your smartphone or streaming network. These are just some of the ways technology helps you watch the total eclipse. Will you be watching?