A Touch of Space Weather

Today we delivered a workshop for sighted students at Explora in Antwerp.

The students learned about space weather and inclusion, while also experiencing aspects of blindness and visual impairment through a blindfold exercise and by exploring tactile images of Earth’s magnetosphere and radiation belts.

They also created a tactile image of solar activity, which we will use in our workshops for students with blindness or visual impairment.

Thank you, Dirk from Explora, for having us, and all the students for their work and enthusiasm!

If anyone is interested in organizing a similar workshop, feel free to contact us.

⚡Tactile Image - Geomagnetically Induced Currents ⚡

🌄These tactile images show that during a geomagnetical storm, electrical currents form under the ground and can enter the power grid that can cause power outages and failures.

👉You can create some of the tactile images yourself! Check our website for more:
https://www.a-touch-of-space-weather.be/tactile-images

📡Tactile Image - Radio Communication 📡

🌄This tactile image shows how radio communication works. Radio signal is reflected by the ionosphere but it can absorbed during a solar storm and create a radio blackout.

👉You can create some of the tactile images yourself! Check our website for more:
https://www.a-touch-of-space-weather.be/tactile-images

🌍Tactile Image - Magnetosphere 2 🌍

🌄This tactile image shows that the charged particles move along Earth’s magnetic field lines and can be directed towards the atmosphere in the polar regions.

👉You can create some of the tactile images yourself! Check our website for more:
https://www.a-touch-of-space-weather.be/tactile-images

🎇Tactile Image - Aurora 🎇

🌄This tactile image shows a horizon with houses. Above the roofs, wavy, curtain-like aurora is visible. A piece of fabric hangs down from the back side, showing the movement of auroras.

👉You can create some of the tactile images yourself! Check our website for more:
https://www.a-touch-of-space-weather.be/tactile-images

☢Tactile Image - Radiation Belts ☢

🌄This tactile image shows two radiation belts where energetic particles are trapped. Satellites orbit on different altitudes: some are outside of the belts, some are inside.

👉You can create some of the tactile images yourself! Check our website for more:
https://www.a-touch-of-space-weather.be/tactile-images

🧲Tactile Image - Magnetosphere🧲

🌄The tactile image of the magnetosphere shows the Earth and its distorted magnetic field. It shows how the solar particles flow around Earth’s magnetosphere.

👉You can create some of the tactile images yourself! Chech our website for more:
https://www.a-touch-of-space-weather.be/tactile-images