I saw a solar eclipse in Phnom Penh last year I was in toul tom pong psar as people were setting up the outside wet market they have in the afternoon / evening very weird cockerals started crowing and all sorts.
Animal behavior during a solar eclipse
31–39 of 39 posts
Re: Animal behavior during a solar eclipse
#32I drove 2 hours to get into the path of totality for the 2017 eclipse. I just want to reiterate to anyone with a similar opportunity how worthwhile it is to make the trek to be in the path of totality. I had many friends that figured they would just watch from home because "it is going to be 98% eclipsed here". Let me dispel that logic. Anything less than total eclipse is basically unnoticeable, while the total eclip…
I was outside of the totality in 2017 but only just barely. My friends who were in the totality insist that what I saw wasn't as good but their pictures look identical to what I saw. Considering they were in a farm field and I was on top of a mountain with a view of several volcanoes, I'm not sure I would trade my view for theirs just because it was a little darker. With that said, maybe you've seen an eclipse from j…
There is very much a "light switch" effect that occurs when totality hits. It's a very discrete moment of time -- an obvious discontinuity which is part of what makes the phenomenon seem so otherworldly. If you didn't have that kind of nearly-instantaneous "lights out" experience then yes, you did miss out on the main event. In any case I definitely recommend getting into the path of totality in 2024.
Re: Animal behavior during a solar eclipse
#33An eclipse is such an amazing phenomenon. The last time it happened I had my mind blown by a simple realization: There is no physical reason why the moon fits precisely within the diameter of the sun. It just so happens that on our little planet with sentient life, in which human life is present for only an incredibly small window, the time in which we are present and looking to the skies is when the diameter and dis…
If moon's size was larger than sun, then eclipses would be proper nights.
Re: Animal behavior during a solar eclipse
#34Especially if you've witnessed the absolutely extraordinary beauty of a total eclipse, imagine living in ancient times, believing in active and utilitarian gods, and witnessing a total solar eclipse during a battle
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Eclipse
This may or may not have actually happened, but I'm not sure that changes the fun of thinking through what that would feel like. At the very least, it would have been the case that many folks witnessed an extraordinary event that their friend, a few miles away and outside the path of totality, would not have seen.
Re: Animal behavior during a solar eclipse
#35I drove 2 hours to get into the path of totality for the 2017 eclipse. I just want to reiterate to anyone with a similar opportunity how worthwhile it is to make the trek to be in the path of totality. I had many friends that figured they would just watch from home because "it is going to be 98% eclipsed here". Let me dispel that logic. Anything less than total eclipse is basically unnoticeable, while the total eclip…
It was unreal to be on higher ground, and see light on the horizon all around, but have it be dark above. It also became eerily quiet. I will make an effort to be in the path of a total eclipse again before I die.
Re: Animal behavior during a solar eclipse
#36I drove 2 hours to get into the path of totality for the 2017 eclipse. I just want to reiterate to anyone with a similar opportunity how worthwhile it is to make the trek to be in the path of totality. I had many friends that figured they would just watch from home because "it is going to be 98% eclipsed here". Let me dispel that logic. Anything less than total eclipse is basically unnoticeable, while the total eclip…
I was there because I just happen to have relatives who lived right in the path, but I was totally blown away. I wish I could convey the experience to people who weren't there. It was interesting as it approached, but once it reached totality it was pretty shocking. It felt a bit like the end of the world. All of the sudden it's dark outside, but not quite the same darkness as night. There's a sunset on the horizon i…
I have to +1. Got somewhat dragged to totality by my girlfriend at the time with a bunch of her friends. It wasn't my prime idea of a long weekend but she and her friends were insanely excited, and she was always very supportive of me, so I went along with minimal grumbling (including when we woke up at 4:30a that morning to go from our campgrounds to an open lake area to make sure we got a good spot).
Any ounce of annoyance I might have been harboring evaporated when the eclipse went from 99% to 100%. It was insane how incredible of an experience it was, and so suddenly. To feel this intense connection to other people who had seen it, or are seeing it...people were screaming and whooping, it was just incredible.
I had driven a full car to the totality zone ~3 hours. I wasn't even mad that the drive home took 7 hours instead. I just had a big grin on my face, it was so worth it.
Re: Animal behavior during a solar eclipse
#37> In the 2017 eclipse, changes in light intensity were attributed to bees going temporarily still.
This sentence is backwards...
Re: Animal behavior during a solar eclipse
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was outside of the totality in 2017 but only just barely. My friends who were in the totality insist that what I saw wasn't as good but their pictures look identical to what I saw. Considering they were in a farm field and I was on top of a mountain with a view of several volcanoes, I'm not sure I would trade my view for theirs just because it was a little darker. With that said, maybe you've seen an eclipse from j…
There is very much a "light switch" effect that occurs when totality hits. It's a very discrete moment of time -- an obvious discontinuity which is part of what makes the phenomenon seem so otherworldly. If you didn't have that kind of nearly-instantaneous "lights out" experience then yes, you did miss out on the main event. In any case I definitely recommend getting into the path of totality in 2024.
I remember a similar effect, but maybe it wasn't as pronounced as if I had been in totality.
Re: Animal behavior during a solar eclipse
#39An eclipse is such an amazing phenomenon. The last time it happened I had my mind blown by a simple realization: There is no physical reason why the moon fits precisely within the diameter of the sun. It just so happens that on our little planet with sentient life, in which human life is present for only an incredibly small window, the time in which we are present and looking to the skies is when the diameter and dis…
This is a true mind-blowing fact. The ratio of the distances between Earth-Sun and Earth-Moon is close to the ratio of the sizes between Sun & Moon. So the Moon & Sun look to be the same apparent size from the perspective of Earthlings... When I last read about this, we hadn't identified any other moons for which this holds true. It turns out our moon has many seemingly strange properties. It's big but not very dense…
Widen out the scope a bit and you see Bode's law[1] all the way out to Neptune.