The six weird things that happen during a solar eclipse – including strange animal behaviour and eerie winds

THE next total solar eclipse, when the sun turns from a fiery disk into a ring of fire, is set to occur in April next year.

While they can be spooky if you’ve never experienced one, what happens to nature can be equally as eerie.

GettyDuring solar eclipses, some spider species begin to break down their webs during an eclipse, as they typically do at the end of the day[/caption]

AlamyK0G2MR Solar Eclipse of 8-21-17, as seen in North Central Florida.[/caption]

Animal behaviour

Most animals structure their lives on the light-dark cycle of the sun and moon.

So, a solar eclipse can throw many species into disarray when they come about.

Confused animals that are active during the day head back to their shelters for sleep, while nocturnal animals think they’ve overslept and spring into action. 

For example, you may see nocturnal bats flying around during the daytime, having been tricked by the period of darkness.

Some spider species begin to break down their webs during an eclipse, as they typically do at the end of the day.

Once the eclipse has passed, they begin to rebuild them again.

Hippos in Zimbabwe have also been observed leaving their rivers during an eclipse, heading towards their nocturnal feeding grounds on dry land.

While fish and birds that are active during the day typically head for their nighttime resting places.

The same can be said for humans, too.

Some people report feeling tired or lethargic during solar eclipses, a phenomenon which is largely attributed to the sudden change in natural light.

Changing winds

Solar eclipses can cause big shifts in the atmosphere, which materialises as changes in winds, temperature, cloud cover and humidity.

Helm Clayton, one of the first scientists to investigate eclipses’ impact on the weather, suggested that when the moon’s shadow falls on the Earth it causes an increase in cold air.

Plunging temperatures

How much the temperature changes, of course, depends on the location, time of year and type of eclipse.

Most places see temperature drops of between five to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (2.8 to 5.6 degrees Celsius) during a total eclipse.

When the temperature cools briefly during an eclipse, the air leans closer to the so-called dew point.

This make the air feel a bit more humid.

Meanwhile, a significant temperature drop can also alter cloud cover.

Scrambled radio waves

Solar eclipses can also scramble radio waves.

The ionosphere – high up in Earth’s atmosphere – gets less sunlight and therefore colder during a total solar eclipse.

This dip in temperature can deplete some of the particles there, causing holes.

What this leads to is long-distance radio waves being unable to bounce off the ionosphere in these regions and return their signals to Earth.

Eerie shadows

As an eclipse passes overhead, the shadows will be dappled with tiny, bright crescents.

These shadows occur during partial and total eclipses.

Shrinking microbes

Even microorganisms could be susceptible to a solar eclipse’s weird vibes, according to a 2011 study.

Scientists in India looked at bacteria growing on laboratory petri dishes during a total eclipse and found microbes became smaller and differently shaped near the peak of the eclipse.

However, it’s important to note that these results have not yet been replicated.