Achi news desk-
For a few precious minutes next Monday, countless Canadians may marvel as the sky darkens and the moon slides directly between the Earth and the sun, a rare and remarkable sight in the cosmic ballet, unseen in many Canadians for decades.
“It’s one of the most fascinating natural phenomena we can see,” astronomer Julie Bolduc-Duval said in an interview with CTV News Monday. “It’s great that we all get the chance to see it … for free, over our heads.”
But also amazing are the myriad effects that a celestial event like the April 8th solar eclipse can cause, from an associated spike in traffic accidents along its path, to measurable effects on social interaction and wildlife behaviour.
Here are a few lessons we’ve learned from past eclipses, and something we hope to understand better this time around:
say ‘wonder’
It’s no secret that eclipses can inspire wonder. But a team of researchers at the University of California, Irvine have discovered that the emotional impact of an eclipse is actually something that can be measured.
A 2022 review of data covering millions of social media users during the 2017 solar eclipse showed a marked increase in what researchers called “social, connected, humble and collective language” among those in its path, compared to those outside it.
“Human beings have looked to the sky for inspiration and guidance for thousands of years,” the study reads. “Stunning astronomical events such as a total solar eclipse can create trends—from increased attention to one’s groups to motivations to care for and connect with others—that are essential to collective life.”
Further research found that users who showed “awe” during and around the eclipse were more likely to use that language, compared to their own posts online before the eclipse and less awed users.
“I love thinking about the fact that millions of us will be looking at the sky at the same time,” said Bolduc-Duval. “There are so many things that divide us, polarize us, these days. But everyone will be looking up at the eclipse … that’s a very beautiful thought.”
Eyes on the road
Although many will step away from their normal routine to enjoy the view, many more will experience the eclipse as just another Monday afternoon, in and around rush hour, which could mean they will be behind to the wheel.
A new study by the University of Toronto (U of T) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) found that based on what the last North American total showed, fascinating and dirty visual phenomena down the highway do not mix.
“We found a significant increase in traffic risk in the United States around the time of the total eclipse,” lead researcher Donald Redelmeier said in a U of T statement.
Examining records from a US database of traffic fatalities, researchers found that traffic risks in their sample increased by almost a third in the three-day period surrounding the 2017 eclipse. They found that the spike equated to an average of one extra crash every 25 minutes, one additional death every 95 minutes and a total of 46 additional deaths.
Increased traffic, unfamiliar destinations and routes, disproportionate speeding and roadside stops can all be part of the spike, said Redelmeier, who drew a comparison to similar increases in risk around major holidays such as Thanksgiving.
“Clinicians may advise patients to respect speed limits, minimize distractions, allow more headway, wear a seat belt, and never drive impaired,” UBC co-researcher John Staples said in the statement.
“More generally, stakeholders should work toward a transportation system that minimizes traffic risks, tolerates human error, and optimally recovers from a crash,” said Redelmeier.
Animal abnormalities
For people across the continent, the eclipse is a long-awaited event with plenty of warning and centuries of scientific research to help understand its context.
However, animals likely won’t get the memo.
Strange behavior among wildlife has long been reported anecdotally during celestial events such as eclipses, from nocturnal animals instinctively assuming dusk has come early, to a more disoriented, panicked response as it will be a completely new experience. for most animals.
For a study published in 2020, a team of US researchers visited the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC, to monitor 17 species of mammals, birds and reptiles during the 2017 solar eclipse.
Around three out of four of the species were found to exhibit unusual behaviour, with the majority turning to their natural habits at night or at night, and five species, including gorillas, baboons , flamingos, giraffes and parrots, show anxious or fearful responses.
A follow-up study is planned for this year’s eclipse.
Researchers with NASA have also studied the effect of the eclipse on the animal kingdom, recruiting human volunteers for the partial eclipse in 2023 and again for the total eclipse this April to monitor the change in natural noise levels and other observations in their region, such as cricket sings. hours ahead of time.
The Eclipse Soundscapes Project, itself a revival of a 1930s study, is expected to involve more than 2,000 volunteers across North America this year.
“We are excited to invite the public to participate in this opportunity to perform real and meaningful scientific research as equal participants,” said project co-leader Henry “Trae” Winter in a press release.
Atmospheric waves
Next week’s event is expected to be a beautiful and awe-inspiring spectacle, but for those who study the atmosphere itself, it presents what could be a much more exciting opportunity: controlled, predictable data.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder (UCB) plan to use their roughly two-minute window of total eclipse to measure how solar radiation affects the ionosphere, a layer of the Earth’s atmosphere that extends from 60 to 1,000 kilometers above, and it is essential. to the planet’s radio signals.
The eclipse’s brief disruption of the flow of energy from the sun to Earth allows unique conditions to study the dynamics of the ionosphere, which can help scientists understand the implications of launching and maintaining satellites, manned space missions and telecommunications around the world
“The ionosphere is like the undulating surface of a pond, and by measuring the characteristics of the waves produced there, we can learn more about the pond and what can disturb it, when, and how much,” says researcher Terry Bullett in a report. released from UCB.
Eesha Das Gupta, an astronomy researcher and graduate student at U of T, says eclipses have long offered research opportunities for a variety of disciplines and fields, including visual evidence that supports Einstein’s theoretical research.
But as someone with a lifelong obsession with astronomy, this time is also a personal opportunity.
“I’ve experienced the total solar eclipse before, but I haven’t actually seen it,” he said in an interview Tuesday with CTVNews.ca, recalling the 2009 eclipse that was tragically obscured by storm clouds.
“I’ve checked the weather forecast [for April 8] so many times … I hope I can see the sun; it’s not supposed to be stormy.”
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