{"id":10150,"date":"2024-02-12T18:03:37","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T22:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/sense-the-solar-eclipse-with-nasas-eclipse-soundscapes-project\/"},"modified":"2024-02-12T18:03:37","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T22:03:37","slug":"sense-the-solar-eclipse-with-nasas-eclipse-soundscapes-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/sense-the-solar-eclipse-with-nasas-eclipse-soundscapes-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Sense the Solar Eclipse with NASA\u2019s Eclipse Soundscapes Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sense the Solar Eclipse with NASA\u2019s Eclipse Soundscapes Project<\/h2>\n

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4 min read<\/p>\n

Sense the Solar Eclipse with NASA\u2019s Eclipse Soundscapes Project<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

When darkness sweeps across the landscape during a total solar eclipse, unusual things start happening. Fooled by the false dusk, birds stop singing, crickets start chirping, and bees return to their hives.<\/p>\n

Reports of these atypical animal behaviors date back centuries, but the effects of an eclipse on plant and animal life are not fully understood. So, on April 8, 2024, 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cEclipses are often thought of as a visual event \u2013 something that you see,\u201d said Kelsey Perrett, Communications Coordinator with the Eclipse Soundscapes Project. \u201cWe want to show that eclipses can be studied in a multi-sensory manner, through sound and feeling and other forms of observation.\u201d<\/p>\n

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, blocking its light from reaching parts of the planet. In areas where the Sun\u2019s light is completely blocked \u2013 known as the path of totality \u2013 it looks as if dusk has fallen, temperatures drop, and some stars become visible. These changes can trick animals into altering their usual daytime behaviors. A total solar eclipse will pass over the heads of over 30 million people in North America on April 8, 2024, providing the perfect opportunity for a large-scale citizen science project.<\/p>\n

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In April 2024, volunteers can join the Eclipse Soundscapes project to help NASA scientists better understand how wildlife is impacted by solar eclipses. Volunteers will gather sound recordings, make observations using any of their senses, and even help with data analysis from across the path of the eclipse. This video features interviews from Eclipse Soundscapes experts MaryKay Severino, Dr. William \u201cTrae\u201d Winter III, and Dr. William Oestreich, and highlights natural resource manager Dr. Chace Holzhueser at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, who will be conducting a similar study for the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
Credits<\/em><\/strong>: Lacey Young\/NASA<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Eclipse Soundscapes Project aims to replicate a similar study conducted by American scientist William M. Wheeler following a 1932 total solar eclipse that passed over the northeast reaches of Canada and the United States. The near-century-old study captured almost 500 observations from the public.<\/p>\n

The Eclipse Soundscapes Project hopes modern tools will replicate and expand upon that study to better understand animal and insect behavior. 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 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?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more audio data and observations we have, the better we can answer these questions,\u201d Perrett said. \u201cContributions from participatory scientists will allow us to drill down into specific ecosystems and determine how the eclipse may have impacted each of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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An Eastern Lubber Grasshopper on a leaf.<\/div>\n
Federico Acevedo\/National Park Service<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Eclipse Soundscape project invites people to become involved with the study at all levels \u2013 from learning about eclipses online, to collecting multisensory observations and audio data, to analyzing the data \u2013 and in all locations, whether they\u2019re on the path of totality or not. The project is open to people of all backgrounds and abilities. All project roles have been designed with accessibility in mind to invite people who are blind or have low vision to participate alongside their sighted peers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

People on or near the path of totality can participate as \u201cData Collectors\u201d by using an AudioMoth device, a low-cost audio recording device called equipped with a micro-SD card, to capture the sounds of an eclipse. People can also participate as \u201cObservers\u201d by writing down their multisensory observations and submitting them to the project website after the eclipse. Anyone with an internet connection, can participate as an \u201cApprentice\u201d by learning about eclipses or as a \u201cData Analyst\u201d to help analyze the audio data after the eclipse. After completing an Eclipse Soundscapes role, a downloadable certificate will be available.<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/figure>
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An AudioMoth device hangs from a tree branch, ready to capture the sounds of an eclipse.<\/div>\n
Eclipse Soundscapes Project<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWhen 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,\u201d Perrett said. \u201cOur 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about the project and how to become involved, visit: https:\/\/eclipsesoundscapes.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

By\u00a0Mara Johnson-Groh<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/a>, Greenbelt, Md.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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