Stars are hard to see in the city due to air pollution, light pollution, and urbanization. SoundObservation (SO) is a sonification installation where people can observe stars without sight. Star data from the astronomical satellite Hipparcos is used to plot data in the virtual space. It is compared with the posture information of the observers. When a star is in the observer's line of sight, the information held by the star is converted into numerical values and sound information. This system enables observation of stars through sounds, allowing the observer not only to feel stars, but to become aware of stars that people have not been able to perceive before. Furthermore, it leads to the imagination of the invisible universe and provides new options for enjoying the stars. SO is exhibited in some exhibitions and it got two awards in Japan. Also, the own events of SO are hold in Tokyo to introduce this work.
This work was supported by the JST [Moonshot R&D Program] Grant Number JPMJMS2215-G3-7 and the Ishii-Ishibashi Fund (The Keio University Grant for Early Career Researchers).