Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)

This is a model of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51). It is designed to help make astronomy accessible to students with vision impairments (VI) and is part of the Tactile Universe.

This model uses a single-band image of a galaxy as a height map with the height of the raised areas scaling with the amount of light emitted from the galaxy. In this model the SDSS g-band (blue light, ~475 nm) is used. The blue light from a galaxy shows the location of the hot and young starts within a galaxy.

More models like this one, along with lesson plans and guides, can be found at https://tactileuniverse.org/models/