In other anecdotes, observers reported birds that stopped singing, crickets that stopped chirping, or bees returning to their hive, cutting back on their foraging, or halting their flight in total darkness. But there are also studies that dispute that some of these behaviors occur or are due to the eclipse.
Therefore, NASA scientists plan not only to systematize observations, but also to document what people hear and see in the shadow of the moon.
“The Great North American Solar Eclipse”
NASA launched the Eclipse Soundscapes citizen science project to collect the experiences of volunteers. It was inspired by a study conducted nearly 100 years ago by William M. Wheeler and a team of collaborators. At that time, the Boston Natural History Society invited citizens, park rangers and naturalists to report on the activities of birds, mammals, insects, reptiles and fish during the 1932 summer eclipse. She collected almost 500 reports. In their final report, they note that some animals exhibited nocturnal behaviors, such as returning to their nests and hives or making nocturnal vocalizations.
The current NASA study will add observations made during the October 14, 2023 annular solar eclipse and the April 8 total solar eclipse. The latter will be visible first in Mexico in Mazatlan, then in Nazas, Torreon, Monclova and Piedras Negras. These places lie directly in the umbra of the solar eclipse and are therefore perceived by their residents as total. In the surrounding regions, it will be experienced as a partial solar eclipse with less darkness. It will then enter the United States via Texas, passing through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Eventually it will travel from southern Ontario through Canada and continue via Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. According to astronomical estimates, the Mexican port of Mazatlan is the best place to watch the event in 2024, which will peak at around 11:07 a.m. local time.
A sparrow witnesses a partial solar eclipse in Jize Land, Hebei province, China, June 21, 2020.Future Release/Getty Images
How can you help
In the United States, 30 million people live in the area where the solar eclipse will be perceived as total. Add in the Mexican and Canadian public and the potential for gaining experience is immense. NASA wants to take advantage of this.
The project envisages different levels of volunteer work: apprentice, observer, data collector, data analyst and facilitator.