Just Another Damn Eclipse Diary.
The Backyard Science group is built around the idea of layperson’s being able to collect data and make observations which might be of some scientific use in the aggregate. The August 21st eclipse that swept across the continental United States was essentially a great opportunity to do just that.
So now it’s my turn to put together some observations on what I saw of the event as viewed for Philadelphia — a location that was going to see 75% coverage in mid-afternoon.
The weather was warm (mid 80s), humid, and partly cloudy. The latter did block out the sun on occasion, but also acted as a filter which allowed for some of the pictures with my Nikon to come out better than others. Attempts to use my iPhone through a set of filter glasses failed miserably. :(
I picked an observation location on a crag near the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Schuylkill River. I arrived about an hour before the maximum coverage, and eventually about 10-12 people were gathered in the same spot and more people where in small groups here and there in the nearby vicinity. The Franklin Institute was also sponsoring an observation event, but more on that later.
Above two photos are looking at the river from the observation point. On the left, one hour before the max. On the right, ten minutes after the max. Unfortunately the pictures really do not show the difference in illumination very well. It was slight, but noticeable. A bit like the sky on a day with heavy overcast.
On to nature observations. On the way to my viewing site I took time to observe what the “normal” level of activity was for insects (mainly bees), and small birds. I also looked for plants that were known to react to light levels; e.g. blooms that closed or opened at night.
During the eclipse I took time to look at the insects, birds, and plants near the observation site. I can report that I saw little or no variation in behaviors. Insects continued to visit the plants, sparrows to forage, etc. And none of the plants I observed did anything different either. The Jimsonweed, for instance, did not bloom early. I put this down to the fact that the illumination level was not cut that much.
As a science event I think it drew a good amount of attention. The Franklin Institute hosted a viewing event, and they also discussed the upcoming event during their planetarium programs (of which I attended on in mid-July) including helping people get filter glasses.