Cosmic Listening Instrument
Design, test and publish an interactive instrument that makes one astronomical pattern audible and accountable.
Due29 October 2027
Weight45%
StageWeek 12
The brief#
Build a public listening instrument that helps a person investigate one
precise astronomical question while exposing every design choice between
data and sound.
Use a citable dataset small enough to understand deeply. The instrument may be
beautiful, playful or musical, but it must never imply that its arrangement is
an unprocessed recording. Scope one primary interaction and make it excellent.
What you submit#
Submit a public URL, source repository, a 500-word methods and disclosure page,
the source or retrieval instructions for the data, and a testing record from at
least five first-time users. Include a two-minute screen recording only as
backup; markers assess the live instrument.
The spec
The brief poses the problem and leaves room for a response. The spec is the fixed part: what a marker checks. Some lines can be checked mechanically; the rest call for judgement.
- the public URL works without a login in current Chrome at desktop and phone widths
- a listener can inspect source values, mapping, uncertainty and all processing
- play, pause or stop and the primary exploration path work by keyboard
- the scientific task remains possible without audio
- the submission includes evidence from at least five first-time users
How it is marked
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|
| Astronomical question and data integrity | 25% |
| Sonification design | 25% |
| Interaction and accessibility | 20% |
| Testing and revision | 20% |
| Disclosure and presentation | 10% |