'Unusual things' happen to wildlife during a solar eclipse, NASA notes
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American Scientist's Corey Powell discusses the details of the upcoming solar eclipse on ‘The Story.’
NASA is asking for the public's help in its latest research project.
The 2024 solar eclipse, which will occur in North America on April 8, is expected to cause several earthly disturbances, including the behavior of animals.
Both physical and auditory animal behaviors will shift during the eclipse, according to NASA.
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Wildlife during a solar eclipse have reacted in the past as if the day suddenly turned to night.
"When darkness sweeps across the landscape during a total solar eclipse, unusual things start happening," NASA noted in a press release.
The Diamond Ring effect is seen as the moon made its final move over the sun during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, above Madras, Oregon. (HUM Images/Universal Images Group)
"Fooled by the false dusk, birds stop singing, crickets start chirping and bees return to their hives."
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As solar eclipses don’t come around often — the next event won’t occur in the U.S. for another 20 years — NASA is seeking some outside input to help with its research through its Eclipse Soundscapes (ES) Project, a NASA Citizen Science project funded by NASA Science Activation.
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The ES project began during the October 2023 annular eclipse.
It will revisit a study from 1935 that first showed the eclipse's impact on animals.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) headquarters is seen in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 15, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency)
The original study compiled 498 personal observations from game wardens, naturalists and members of the public, according to the ES website.
While these "atypical animal behaviors" have been happening for centuries, NASA noted that "the effects of an eclipse on plant and animal life are not fully understood."
"Fooled by the false dusk, birds stop singing, crickets start chirping and bees return to their hives."
"The NASA-funded Eclipse Soundscapes Project will collect the sights and sounds of a total solar eclipse with help from interested members of the public to better understand how an eclipse affects different ecosystems," NASA said.
Members of the public can get involved by fulfilling several different roles, starting with the "apprentice" role, which requires online training.
After apprentices earn their training certificates, they can choose to become an observer, data collector, data analyst or facilitator.
All roles have accompanying training courses.
Participants will use "multisensory observations, such as audio recordings and written accounts of what is seen, heard or felt during the eclipse," NASA said. (iStock)
Data collectors will use a device called AudioMoth that collects and records soundscape data on or near the eclipse path — while observers will use any senses available to them.
The hope is for these types of modern tools to replicate and expand upon previous studies to "better understand animal and insect behavior," NASA stated.
"Answering our science questions about how eclipses impact life on Earth depends entirely on the data that people volunteer to contribute."
"This will be achieved through multisensory observations, such as audio recordings and written accounts of what is seen, heard or felt during the eclipse," the organization said.
"The project, which is particularly interested in learning about cricket behavior, aims to answer questions like, ‘Do nocturnal and diurnal animals act differently or become more or less vocal during a solar eclipse?’"
Kelsey Perrett, the Massachusetts-based communications coordinator with the Eclipse Soundscapes Project, wrote in a statement that the more audio data observations that are collected, the better these questions can be answered.
"Contributions from participatory scientists will allow us to drill down into specific ecosystems and determine how the eclipse may have impacted each of them," she said.
"Answering our science questions about how eclipses impact life on Earth depends entirely on the data that people volunteer to contribute," said the communications coordinator with the Eclipse Soundscapes Project. (iStock)
"When it comes down to it, answering our science questions about how eclipses impact life on Earth depends entirely on the data that people volunteer to contribute."
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She added, "Our participants, including our project partners and facilitators, allow us to span the entire eclipse path and collect way more data than would be possible for just one small team."
Fox News Digital reached out to NASA for additional comment and insights.
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Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle writer for Fox News Digital.
