How People Participated in Eclipse Soundscapes

The Eclipse Soundscapes (ES) Project invited the public to take part in a historic study of how eclipses affect life on Earth during the October 14, 2023 annular eclipse and the April 8, 2024 total eclipse. Active participation in the project is now complete, but thousands of volunteers helped make history as Apprentices, Observers, and Data Collectors. Their work created a rare, multi-sensory record of these events and a powerful open dataset that continues to support scientific discovery.

Below, you can explore what each role involved and how every participant contributed.

Roles Overview

These four roles formed the core of the Eclipse Soundscapes project. While new participation closed after the April 2024 total eclipse, many volunteers, especially Data Collectors, remained involved through 2025 by following how their recordings moved through processing and validation, reviewing site metadata, exploring shared maps and spreadsheets, and joining webinars to learn about preliminary results.

You can still explore how each role contributed and follow the continuing story of the data on the Your Data in Action page.

Apprentices learned about eclipses through free online lessons that built a foundation of knowledge before observing or collecting data.
Observers used all of the senses available to them to experience the eclipse and share their multi-sensory observations online, helping scientists understand how people and animals responded to the sudden change in light and temperature.
Data Collectors deployed AudioMoth devices to record soundscapes before, during, and after the eclipses; their recordings formed the foundation of the Eclipse Soundscapes dataset, which has since been analyzed to study how eclipses affect life on Earth.
Data Analysts were originally envisioned as volunteers who would listen to recordings and help identify patterns. In 2024, the role shifted to automated species detection using tools like BirdNET, while the ES team shared transparent methods and results through the website, webinars, and blogs, and guided volunteers toward ongoing projects on SciStarter and Zooniverse.

Eclipse Soundscapes Apprentice

Apprentice icon, a light-skinned female presenting person holding the moon in one hand and a laptop in the other while wearing headphones connected to the laptop.

Scientists spend time learning about their topic of study before making observations or collecting data. Therefore, Apprentices spent time building a foundation of knowledge about solar eclipses through free online lessons. This role was recommended as the first step for all participants.

Free online lessons, no sign-up required
No location requirements
Completion certificate provided if completed before 4/15/2024
Was available in English y Español!

Eclipse Soundscapes Observer

A white person sitting outside observing and taking notes on a laptop.

Observation is very important in science as it allows us to create and test hypotheses. ES Observers used whichever senses were available to them during the 2023 annular solar eclipse and/or the 2024 total solar eclipse to observe the eclipse. Then they submitted their multi-sensory observations online via a web form. This role was modeled after a participatory science project dating back to the 1930s. Learn more about that study by visiting “The Science.”

Free online training, sign-up encouraged
No equipment needed
Observations submitted online and recognized with a certificate (before April 15, 2024)

Eclipse Soundscapes Data Collector

Data Collector icon - a dark-skinned male-presenting person walking outside holding an AudioMoth in their hand.

As scientists conduct research, they collect data, often with tools that help them enhance their senses and recording abilities. During the week of the 2023 annular solar eclipse or the week of the 2024 total solar eclipse, Data Collectors used AudioMoth devices equipped with micro-SD cards to collect and record soundscapes data on or near the eclipse path. Their recordings formed the foundation of the ES dataset that was analyzed to determine how eclipses affect life on Earth. Read more about the data and results on the “Your Data in Action” page.

Required registration and a site location along or near the eclipse paths
Equipment: AudioMoth and microSD cards
Open to participants age 13 and older
Participants received a Data Collector Certificate of Completion
Over 600 participants contributed recordings from more than 614 sites, generating approximately 25 terabytes of audio

Eclipse Soundscapes Data Analysis

Woman of color wearing earphones and listening to audio files.

When Eclipse Soundscapes launched in 2021, the plan was for volunteer Data Analysts to listen to recordings and help identify patterns. By 2024, advances in machine learning, particularly tools like BirdNET, made automated species detection the most effective path for analysis.

Rather than asking volunteers to listen for the sake of listening, the ES team kept the analysis process transparent by sharing updates, preliminary results, and behind-the-scenes information through the website, webinars, and blogs.

Participants were also encouraged to continue their journey through platforms like SciStarter and Zooniverse, which host hundreds of participatory science projects where public contributions directly advance research.

This approach ensured volunteers could still follow how the analysis was done and what it revealed, while putting their time toward activities that made the most impact.

Eclipse Soundscapes was a SciStarter Affiliate project! Participation in any of the roles before April 15, 2024 could be credited to a volunteer’s SciStarter Dashboard, connecting ES to a broader community of citizen science projects.

The partnership was mutually beneficial: SciStarter helped amplify outreach and recruitment, while Eclipse Soundscapes provided volunteers with meaningful opportunities to contribute to NASA-supported science. Together with SunSketchers, we documented this collaboration in a published paper: A Model for Success: SciStarter Partnerships with Eclipse Soundscapes & SunSketchers.