An eclipse doesn’t make any sound that humans can hear, as it is purely a visual astronomical event. It’s the alignment of celestial bodies (the sun, earth, and moon in the case of a solar eclipse or the earth, moon, and sun in the case of a lunar eclipse), and such astronomical events don’t produce sound in the vacuum of space where they occur.
However, the environment on Earth during an eclipse can have a distinctive indirect “sound”. During a solar eclipse, when the moon blocks out the sun and day turns into night, birds often stop singing, and animals behave as though it’s nighttime. The sudden silence or shift in natural sounds can be perceived by humans as a “sound” or sonic element of the eclipse itself.
The reason why these effects matter is they provide evidence of how astronomical events affect Earth’s atmosphere and life. Additionally, it aids in the study of animal behavior and understanding of how changes in light influence it. There is also a cultural perspective; for many centuries, eclipses have been interpreted in various ways by different cultures, affecting human behavior, beliefs, and actions.
What an eclipse sounds like — and why it matters
An eclipse doesn’t make any sound that humans can hear, as it is purely a visual astronomical event. It’s the alignment of celestial bodies (the sun, earth, and moon in the case of a solar eclipse or the earth, moon, and sun in the case of a lunar eclipse), and such astronomical events don’t produce sound in the vacuum of space where they occur.
However, the environment on Earth during an eclipse can have a distinctive indirect “sound”. During a solar eclipse, when the moon blocks out the sun and day turns into night, birds often stop singing, and animals behave as though it’s nighttime. The sudden silence or shift in natural sounds can be perceived by humans as a “sound” or sonic element of the eclipse itself.
The reason why these effects matter is they provide evidence of how astronomical events affect Earth’s atmosphere and life. Additionally, it aids in the study of animal behavior and understanding of how changes in light influence it. There is also a cultural perspective; for many centuries, eclipses have been interpreted in various ways by different cultures, affecting human behavior, beliefs, and actions.
