The Eclipse Soundscapes Project

The Eclipse Soundscapes Project is a NASA Citizen Science project funded by NASA Science Activation that is studying how eclipses affect life on Earth during the October 14, 2023 annular solar eclipse and the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. 

One of the earliest recorded examples of eclipse-related participatory science is a study by William M. Wheeler and a team of collaborators in 1935. This project invited the general public to help study how the August 31, 1932 solar eclipse affected animal and insect behavior. The study compiled 498 personal observations from game wardens, naturalists, and members of the general public. The evidence noted changes in animal behavior and soundscapes during the eclipse.

Other more recent studies have done in-depth analyses of soundscapes during eclipses, utilizing modern recording devices. These include studies conducted by the National Park Services (NPS) during the 2017 eclipse. The NPS’s work greatly supported the Eclipse Soundscapes (ES) team in determining which audio recording devices were scientifically effective and why, and how to implement these devices during an eclipse. Support from a Science Advisory Board that includes Acoustic Biologists, Soundscape Ecologists, and other experts continues to support ES work.

Like Wheeler, Eclipse Soundscapes is asking for your help in gathering multi-sensory observations and audio data. This will help Eclipse Soundscapes collect so many more observations and much more soundscape data than they ever could on their own!