Sagittarius A* at the Milky Way’s center, the quiet colossus anchoring our own galaxy, in two plates, shown close in and slightly farther out.
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A Universe of Touch and Sound
Supermassive Black Hole Tactile Plate Set
with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory & Universe of Learning
Our universe is shaped not only by the glow of stars but by the enormous, invisible giants known as supermassive black holes. Found at the hearts of galaxies and galaxy clusters, these gravitational titans influence cosmic landscapes across millions of light-years.
This tactile plate set invites you to touch examples of six supermassive black holes:
NGC 6872, an immense spiral galaxy hosting a supermassive black hole at its core.
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IC 1623, where merging galaxies surround dual black holes entwined in collision.
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Centaurus A, an elliptical galaxy split by a dramatic dust lane & powerful black hole jet.
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Perseus cluster where a black hole sculpts twisting filaments of hot gas.
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UHZ1, one of the most distant black holes discovered, shining from the early universe.
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Each tactile plate is a relief map built from NASA Chandra X-ray Observatory and other multi-wavelength data, including from NASA’s Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes, the Event Horizon Telescope, and others. Each offers a hands-on journey into the hidden architecture of the cosmos.
Every plate includes a label with the object name on the top/tactile side. Flip the plate over and there is a QR code sticker linking to an audio file that narrates the plate contents.
For more information visit
https://chandra.si.edu/tactile/
https://chandra.si.edu/sound/
https://chandra.si.edu/blackhole/
Chandra X-ray Center, Operated for NASA by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. This site was developed with funding from NASA under contract NAS8-03060 | Privacy | Accessibility
Additional support from NASA's Universe of Learning (UoL). UoL materials are based upon work supported by NASA under award number NNX16AC65A to the Space
Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.