Editor’s note: Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
During a solar eclipse, when the sky goes dark and the temperature drops, some animals respond in odd ways. Scientists want your help in researching the phenomenon.It’s been reported during past solar eclipses that some animals change their behavior thinking night has fallen. Here’s how an eclipse can affect wildlife.
And regular folks won’t just be watching at a zoo. The citizen project calls for observations from all sorts of environments, including cities with pigeons and squirrels, mountain ecosystems with woodland critters, farms with livestock, and more. But that’s not the only way citizen scientists can get involved. You could also join NASA’s Eclipse Soundscapes Project. The space agency will collect observations from the public on animal behaviors as well as human reactions to the eclipse through written multisensory reports — such as what the observer saw, heard or felt — and audio recordings of the environment during the solar event.
A better understanding of how animals respond to the eclipse could inspire further research on how animals, particularly insects, are affected by light pollution, said Pijanowski, who is also part of the science advisory board for the Soundscapes Project.from the public. For example, people told the researchers that during the August 1932 eclipse’s totality they noticed crickets chirping as if it were nighttime and bees attempting to return to their hives.
“It’s the nature of the beast. Eclipses are super exciting. We don’t want to do anything that diminishes people’s excitement during the eclipse,” he said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
On this day in 2017On this day in 2017, “Hidden Figures” case honored another hidden figure — trailblazing engineer Raye Montague.
Read more »
Why the 2024 eclipse will be a different experience from 2017Total solar eclipses happen when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun's face. But these celestial events aren't all exactly alike.
Read more »
Why the 2024 eclipse will be a different experience from 2017Total solar eclipses happen when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun's face. But these celestial events aren't all exactly alike.
Read more »
SoCal Edison to pay $80M to settle claims its equipment sparked devastating Thomas Fire in 2017Southern California Edison will pay $80 million to settle claims on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service connected to a massive wildfire that destroyed more than a thousand homes and other structures in 2017.
Read more »
Chicago man sentenced to 9 decades in 2017 Wrigleyville kidnappingChicago police said the victim was able to use the emergency escape of the trunk after he crashed her car on the city's South Side.
Read more »
Why April’s Total Solar Eclipse Is So Different From 2017’s ‘Great American Eclipse’I’m an expert on solar eclipses. I'm the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com and author of The Complete Guide To The Great North American Eclipse of April 8, 2024.
Read more »