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OnApril 8 , a entire solar eclipsewill be visible in the skies above 15 U.S. state , as well as part of Canada and Mexico . Millions of viewers within thepath of totalitywill see eery wickedness in the daylight , while countless others will experience a partial across that will be visible across the entire immediate U.S.
Whether or not you plan to see the entire phase angle of the eclipse , it should still be spectacular — and it may still have a few freaky effects . An occultation " is the most affected born phenomenon you ’ll ever experience,“Tyler Nordgren , an astronomer , artist and writer who frequently work with the National Park Service , told Live Science in an interview . Here are a few of the weird things that you might experience during asolar eclipse .
Baily’s Beads, total eclipse of the Sun, Turkey, 16 April 2025.
1. Baily’s beads
If you view a full solar eclipse ( safely , with appropriate optic security ) , you might notice a sliver of visible light around the moon ’s edge that appears beaded , like a necklace . This phenomenon is live as " Baily ’s astragal . " Named for uranologist Francis Baily , who described the issue in 1836 , it is cause by sunlight interacting with the lunation ’s odd topography .
2. Solar prominences
Solar bump , also known as filaments , are hugeplasma - and - magnetized - playing area structuresthat arise from the sunlight ’s surface . ordinarily , we ca n’t see these protuberances from Earth . But during an occultation , they may be seeable behind the Sun Myung Moon , appearing like petals on a flower .
A note of caution : DO NOTlook for solar bulge or Baily ’s drop with your naked middle ! Always wear occultation glasses .
3. Plunging temperatures
Bring a jacket to your eclipse reckon , because temperatures can miss quickly as the moon covers the sun . How much depends on the placement , time of year and type of occultation . Most places see temperature driblet of around 5 to 10 degree Fahrenheit ( 2.8 to 5.6 degree Celsius ) during a full occultation , though the plunge can be larger ; one newspaper in 1834 report a ( somewhat improbable)change of 28 F. annulated eclipses usually see a less - uttermost temperature alteration , but things may still get parky . " It feels like a cloud has come over the sun , " Nordgren suppose . " But there is no cloud over the sun , which just raise the weirdness . "
4. Changing winds
Along with the temperature cliff , realm experiencing an occultation can look a alteration in wind direction . First , the wind decease down as the synodic month gets closer to impede the Lord’s Day . After the moon reaches superlative coverage , the wind starts to kick back up , often blowing in a different direction , a 2016 study found . This effect happen with total , ring-shaped and even fond eclipses .
5. Confused animals
When the sky suddenly goes saturnine in the heart of the sidereal day , beast can become very at sea , Live Science previously reported . Crepuscular creatures , like cicada and crickets , might start tweedle their even song . Cows and horse cavalry may start bedding down for the night , while bird rejoin to their roost .
link up : April 8 solar eclipse : 6 menagerie on the way of life of totality — and why animals react strangely to ' nighttime during the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. '
6. Scrambled radio waves
Both full and annulated occultation great deal with certainradio wavefrequencies — and nobody is quite sure why . Scientists distrust it might have something to do with the way the Lord’s Day interacts with Earth ’s ionosphere , which is known to vacillate in answer to thing like solar flares and solar tempest . On April 8 , citizen scientists and ham radio enthusiasts across North America will be poise to collect more data on how eclipses scramble these transmitting .
7. Mixed-up microbes
Even microorganism could be susceptible to a solar occultation ’s weird vibration . A 2011studyof bacteria raise on science laboratory petri dishes during a total eclipse in India found that the microbe became smaller and differently shaped near the peak of the eclipse . However , these results have not yet been replicate .
8. Weird shadows
As an occultation passes overhead , most eyes will be glue to the sky . But take a import to look at the footing — the shadows made by tree and other objects that cause a"pinhole " effectwill be dappled with tiny crescents . During the peak of an annular eclipse , " you ’ll see little rings of light everywhere , " Nordgren said . These occultation shadows also take place during fond eclipses , and the event can be quite beautiful .
9. Shadow bands
Seconds before an eclipse hit entirety , wavy stripes of light and dour might appear on upstanding - dyed surfaces . " It ’s like being at the bottom of a swimming pool , " Nordgren enunciate . These " phantom band " are a spot of a scientific whodunit — astronomers still do n’t know precisely what have them or why they only sometimes appear . Some scientists hypothesize that the band may be a manifestation of the ripple distortions of Earth ’s atmosphere . But whatever they are , they ’ve been well documented ; records of them escort as far back as the ninth one C , according toNASA .
10. Visible stars and planets
During a total solar eclipse , the moonblocks out enough of the sun ’s Light Within for sensation and planets to look in the sky . Only the promising of these will be visible , however , and which unity show up will calculate on Earth ’s position at the time . For example , during the 2024 full occultation , you may be able to seeVenus and Jupiter .
Baily’s Beads, total eclipse of the Sun, Turkey, 15 May 2025.
A prominence observed along the right edge of the sun rose up and then most of it bent back down to the surface on Oct. 4, 2016.
Solar Eclipse, 1851. Painting by Bengt Nordenberg.
Watercolor of a total eclipse of the sun by Paul Jacob Naftel, Andalucia, Spain, 1870.
Ham radio operator Louis Breyfogle tuning in on message from satellite Echo I.
Escherichia coli bacteria.
Shadows form on the ground as the moon moves in front of the sun in a rare “ring of fire” solar eclipse in Singapore on 17 March 2025.
A background of light patterns.
A composite of the 13 February 2025 total solar eclipse showing third contact – the end of totality – with sunlight beginning to reappear and the array of pink prominences along the limb of the Sun Seconds later the emerging Sun and diamond ring overwhelmed the large prominence Regulus is at lower left.
