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See Also
See Again
© Shutterstock
0 / 29 Fotos
Baily's beads
- If you look up to the total or annular solar eclipse (safely, with appropriate eye protection), you might notice little light bubbles around the rim of the moon.
© Shutterstock
1 / 29 Fotos
Baily's beads
- This phenomenon is known as "Baily's beads." It's named after astronomer Francis Baily, who described the effect in 1836.
© Getty Images
2 / 29 Fotos
Baily's beads
- Baily's beads is caused by sunlight interacting with the moon's uneven topography.
© Shutterstock
3 / 29 Fotos
Solar prominences
- Solar prominences, also known as filaments, are huge plasma and magnetic-field structures, which arise from the sun's surface.
© Getty Images
4 / 29 Fotos
Solar prominences
- Normally, we can't see these protuberances from earth. But during an eclipse, they may be visible behind the moon.
© Getty Images
5 / 29 Fotos
Solar prominences
- However, just like with Baily's beads, you shouldn't look at solar prominences with your naked eyes! Always wear eclipse glasses.
© Getty Images
6 / 29 Fotos
Plunging temperatures
- Make sure to bring a jacket to your eclipse viewing, because temperatures can drop quickly, as the moon covers the sun.
© Shutterstock
7 / 29 Fotos
Plunging temperatures
- How much depends on the location, time of year, and type of eclipse.
© Shutterstock
8 / 29 Fotos
Plunging temperatures
- Most places see temperature drops of around 5-10°F (2.8-5.6°C) during a total eclipse.
© Shutterstock
9 / 29 Fotos
Changing winds
- Along with the temperature drop, places experiencing an eclipse can expect a change in wind direction.
© Shutterstock
10 / 29 Fotos
Changing winds
- At first, the wind dies down as the moon gets closer to blocking the sun.
© Shutterstock
11 / 29 Fotos
Changing winds
- After the moon covers the sun, the wind starts to kick back up, often blowing in a different direction. This occurs with total, annular, and even partial eclipses.
© Shutterstock
12 / 29 Fotos
Radio interference
- On top of temperature and wind, both total and annular eclipses mess with certain radio wave frequencies, and nobody is quite sure why.
© Shutterstock
13 / 29 Fotos
Radio interference
- Scientists suspect it might have something to do with the way the sun interacts with earth's ionosphere.
© Shutterstock
14 / 29 Fotos
Radio interference
- The ionosphere is known to fluctuate in response to things like solar flares and solar storms.
© Shutterstock
15 / 29 Fotos
Visible stars and planets (total eclipse only)
- During a total solar eclipse, the moon blocks out enough of the sun's light for stars and planets to appear in the sky.
© Getty Images
16 / 29 Fotos
Visible stars and planets (total eclipse only)
- Only the brightest of these will be visible. But, which ones show up will depend on earth's position at the time.
© Getty Images
17 / 29 Fotos
Confused animals
- When the sky suddenly goes dark in the middle of the day, the animal kingdom can become very confused.
© Shutterstock
18 / 29 Fotos
Confused animals
- Crepuscular creatures, like cicadas and crickets, might start chirping their evening song, when it's clearly not evening.
© Shutterstock
19 / 29 Fotos
Confused animals
- Adorably, cows and horses may begin bedding down for the night, while birds return to their roost.
© Shutterstock
20 / 29 Fotos
Mixed-up microbes
- Not only do solar eclipses affect large animals, but small, microscopic creatures respond as well.
© Shutterstock
21 / 29 Fotos
Mixed-up microbes
- Back in 2011, a study published in the Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences found that solar eclipses change the growth and shape of microbes.
© Shutterstock
22 / 29 Fotos
Mixed-up microbes
- The study found that the microbes became smaller and differently shaped near the peak of the eclipse. However, these results have not yet been replicated.
© Shutterstock
23 / 29 Fotos
Weird shadows
- As an eclipse passes overhead, most people look up to the sky. But take a moment to look at the ground.
© Shutterstock
24 / 29 Fotos
Weird shadows
- The shadows made by trees and other objects cause a "pinhole" effect, which look like tiny crescents.
© Shutterstock
25 / 29 Fotos
Weird shadows
- These eclipse shadows occur during annular and partial eclipses, and the effect can be quite enchanting.
© Shutterstock
26 / 29 Fotos
Shadow bands (total eclipse only)
- Seconds before an eclipse reaches totality, wavy stripes of light and dark shadows might appear on solid-colored surfaces.
© Shutterstock
27 / 29 Fotos
Shadow bands (total eclipse only)
- These "shadow bands" are a bit of a scientific mystery, and look like you're at the bottom of a swimming pool. Sources: (Live Science) (Grunge) (The Washington Post) See also: Spectacular celestial events to not miss in the upcoming months
© Shutterstock
28 / 29 Fotos
© Shutterstock
0 / 29 Fotos
Baily's beads
- If you look up to the total or annular solar eclipse (safely, with appropriate eye protection), you might notice little light bubbles around the rim of the moon.
© Shutterstock
1 / 29 Fotos
Baily's beads
- This phenomenon is known as "Baily's beads." It's named after astronomer Francis Baily, who described the effect in 1836.
© Getty Images
2 / 29 Fotos
Baily's beads
- Baily's beads is caused by sunlight interacting with the moon's uneven topography.
© Shutterstock
3 / 29 Fotos
Solar prominences
- Solar prominences, also known as filaments, are huge plasma and magnetic-field structures, which arise from the sun's surface.
© Getty Images
4 / 29 Fotos
Solar prominences
- Normally, we can't see these protuberances from earth. But during an eclipse, they may be visible behind the moon.
© Getty Images
5 / 29 Fotos
Solar prominences
- However, just like with Baily's beads, you shouldn't look at solar prominences with your naked eyes! Always wear eclipse glasses.
© Getty Images
6 / 29 Fotos
Plunging temperatures
- Make sure to bring a jacket to your eclipse viewing, because temperatures can drop quickly, as the moon covers the sun.
© Shutterstock
7 / 29 Fotos
Plunging temperatures
- How much depends on the location, time of year, and type of eclipse.
© Shutterstock
8 / 29 Fotos
Plunging temperatures
- Most places see temperature drops of around 5-10°F (2.8-5.6°C) during a total eclipse.
© Shutterstock
9 / 29 Fotos
Changing winds
- Along with the temperature drop, places experiencing an eclipse can expect a change in wind direction.
© Shutterstock
10 / 29 Fotos
Changing winds
- At first, the wind dies down as the moon gets closer to blocking the sun.
© Shutterstock
11 / 29 Fotos
Changing winds
- After the moon covers the sun, the wind starts to kick back up, often blowing in a different direction. This occurs with total, annular, and even partial eclipses.
© Shutterstock
12 / 29 Fotos
Radio interference
- On top of temperature and wind, both total and annular eclipses mess with certain radio wave frequencies, and nobody is quite sure why.
© Shutterstock
13 / 29 Fotos
Radio interference
- Scientists suspect it might have something to do with the way the sun interacts with earth's ionosphere.
© Shutterstock
14 / 29 Fotos
Radio interference
- The ionosphere is known to fluctuate in response to things like solar flares and solar storms.
© Shutterstock
15 / 29 Fotos
Visible stars and planets (total eclipse only)
- During a total solar eclipse, the moon blocks out enough of the sun's light for stars and planets to appear in the sky.
© Getty Images
16 / 29 Fotos
Visible stars and planets (total eclipse only)
- Only the brightest of these will be visible. But, which ones show up will depend on earth's position at the time.
© Getty Images
17 / 29 Fotos
Confused animals
- When the sky suddenly goes dark in the middle of the day, the animal kingdom can become very confused.
© Shutterstock
18 / 29 Fotos
Confused animals
- Crepuscular creatures, like cicadas and crickets, might start chirping their evening song, when it's clearly not evening.
© Shutterstock
19 / 29 Fotos
Confused animals
- Adorably, cows and horses may begin bedding down for the night, while birds return to their roost.
© Shutterstock
20 / 29 Fotos
Mixed-up microbes
- Not only do solar eclipses affect large animals, but small, microscopic creatures respond as well.
© Shutterstock
21 / 29 Fotos
Mixed-up microbes
- Back in 2011, a study published in the Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences found that solar eclipses change the growth and shape of microbes.
© Shutterstock
22 / 29 Fotos
Mixed-up microbes
- The study found that the microbes became smaller and differently shaped near the peak of the eclipse. However, these results have not yet been replicated.
© Shutterstock
23 / 29 Fotos
Weird shadows
- As an eclipse passes overhead, most people look up to the sky. But take a moment to look at the ground.
© Shutterstock
24 / 29 Fotos
Weird shadows
- The shadows made by trees and other objects cause a "pinhole" effect, which look like tiny crescents.
© Shutterstock
25 / 29 Fotos
Weird shadows
- These eclipse shadows occur during annular and partial eclipses, and the effect can be quite enchanting.
© Shutterstock
26 / 29 Fotos
Shadow bands (total eclipse only)
- Seconds before an eclipse reaches totality, wavy stripes of light and dark shadows might appear on solid-colored surfaces.
© Shutterstock
27 / 29 Fotos
Shadow bands (total eclipse only)
- These "shadow bands" are a bit of a scientific mystery, and look like you're at the bottom of a swimming pool. Sources: (Live Science) (Grunge) (The Washington Post) See also: Spectacular celestial events to not miss in the upcoming months
© Shutterstock
28 / 29 Fotos
Watch out for these weird things that can happen during a solar eclipse
Expect confused animals and strange shadows!
© Shutterstock
A solar eclipse isn't just a spectacle in the sky. When the moon passes between the earth and the sun, strange things will happen. For this reason, many scientists see eclipses as rare opportunities to study how nature responds to a few minutes of dusk in the middle of the day. From odd animal behavior to sudden drops in temperature, solar eclipses have long fascinated humans, and understandably so!
Curious? Click on for a few of the weird things that you might experience during a solar eclipse.
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