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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC, and what a great guest we have to help get you ready for the Eclipse. It's Molly Webster, Radiolab senior--

Molly Webster: Hey, Brian. How are you?

Brian Lehrer: Hey. Radiolab senior correspondent. I'll just ID you for people who don't know, and tell everybody that Molly will be hosting an eclipse party, plus a science and storytelling event in Austin, Texas, where the total solar eclipse will be fully visible. Hey, Molly. Welcome back to the show.

Molly Webster: Hey, Brian. How are you?

Brian Lehrer: Good. What are you doing in Austin? What's your event going to be?

Molly Webster: Well, so I'm backstage right now at the Long Center, which is the Performing Arts Center in Austin. We're just having a science nerd night meets lawn festival vibes. There's going to be musicians and storytelling and a stage show from noon until 3:00 PM, Austin time. From point of Moon reaching first contact with the sun, through totality, till the Moon actually totally leaves North America.

Brian Lehrer: Don't you at Radiolab love this? Everybody is a science nerd for one day.

Molly Webster: It is really fun. There's high expectations, though, and a lot of clouds, so we'll see how it all balances out.

Brian Lehrer: Uh-ho. All right. Listeners, you're invited in on this, too. Maybe first priority to anybody who has experienced a solar eclipse in the past. What's the most memorable thing about it for you? Do you have any tips for people who will be experiencing an eclipse for the first time today? How do you get the most out of the experience? 212-433-WNYC for anyone like that. 212-433-9692, call or text, or you can ask some science geek questions. Molly Webster is great for that. 212-433-9692. Have you ever been in an eclipse before?

Molly Webster: No. I've only seen partial eclipse, and the only partial eclipse I saw was 2017. I was in Brooklyn in New York, and there was the partial eclipse that came through. That was really fun, I was out in Red Hook for that, but I've never seen a total one. As I've been doing reporting, I've been almost on a media blackout to avoid seeing any images or videos of what it could be like, because people keep describing it to me, but I want to almost go in as blank as I can, which is tricky, reporting on it.

Brian Lehrer: Yes. There was nothing like this media coverage in 2017. Is this going to be much closer to total in the New York area?

Molly Webster: It will be closer to total in the New York area. I think the reason this one is just getting so much press is because it's covering so much of America. You have something like 30 million Americans that just are in totality based on where their houses are, and then you have millions of other Americans that are driving into the band of totality, and get the opportunity to experience this, which has just heightened the frenzy.

Brian Lehrer: Have you seen the Oreo cookies video that's going around social explaining how an eclipse works?

Molly Webster: I haven't. I wish I had, but now that's going to be on my to-do list.

Brian Lehrer: Listeners, if you want to a quick science geek 101 in very short form, Google, "Eclipse, Oreo cookies," and you'll get something that you'll probably want to watch. People are starting to call, I guess who've experienced eclipses in the past. I have experienced a total eclipse once in my life back in the '90s.

Molly Webster: You have?

Brian Lehrer: I was in Costa Rica, when there was a total eclipse of the sun. I'll just share one thing that I remember about it with a tip to go along, and that is, it's not just about looking at the sun. Yes, it's amazing, and I had those same glasses that I have ready for this afternoon. That is amazing, and be very careful how you do it. Even if you have the right equipment, don't do it for long periods of time. Be very, very careful with this. What I remember most is that it's not just about the sun. The whole environment around you changes.

It becomes nighttime in the middle of the day. Maybe the single biggest takeaway that I have that has stayed with me through these years is that the birds started freaking out when it started to be like dusk, which signals to them to do certain things, but not on what their body clocks were expecting. Not on the clock their bodies were expecting, because it was in the middle of the day. The birds started freaking out. It seemed to me, and maybe this was an exaggerated perception, but it seemed to me, so many birds were tweeting wildly, which now people do, and almost flying every which way confused.

I'm sure I'm over remembering it, but that's part of the thing, is the whole feel of the whole environment as things get dark. Some people I was with felt that they had a spiritual experience. That's very subjective, but it's not just about the sun. If there are nocturnal animals around where you happen to be, if you're in the land of raccoons, or skunks, or bears-- I didn't see this in my eclipse, but I gather that nocturnal animals might come out in the middle of the afternoon. That might be another thing that some people see depending on where they are.

Molly Webster: I think this is one of the fun things about the eclipse is we're all pretty caught up in seeing it, and it would be super amazing to put on glasses and have a perfectly crystal clear day and see the Moon just slide in front of the sun. There's also whether or not you can actually see the planets doing that. It's still going to get dark, it's still going to feel colder, the animals, the nature, there's still going to be a feeling and a response. That feels really exciting to be part of.

Brian Lehrer: Tracy in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, you're on WNYC. Hi, Tracy.

Tracy: Well, hi, Brian. I honestly didn't realize I would be put on live, I just wanted to share that I discovered this during the last eclipse that happened here in Lancaster anyway. Don't forget to look down, and not to avoid looking at the sun even if you have the right lenses. If there is direct sunlight, and you're near trees, anything with leaves, there are little sickle shadows all over any flat surface, and it's beautiful.

Brian Lehrer: There you go. Another specific piece of advice, along the lines of what I was saying. It's not just about looking at the sun. That's a great one, Tracy. Thank you very much. Stephanie in Brooklyn remembers the 2017 eclipse. Stephanie, you're on WNYC. Hello.

Stephanie: Hi, Brian. Thanks so much. A longtime listener, first time caller. I wanted to give the piece of advice after being there for the totality last time to not try to take a picture or a video, because it's just probably not going to be as good as whatever people with the professional cameras are doing and just enjoy the moment, because I remember it went by so quickly. It was truly wild. It was like you're on another planet for a few minutes. Just try to be there and not record it, because it just, it won't be the same later. Be in the moment.

Brian Lehrer: That's a good one. Don't forget to have your experience. Also, Molly, tell me if you have anything on this. I understand that it's dangerous to hold your cell phone, let's say, or look through any camera lens, at the sun, even with the special glasses. Definitely don't use the telescope with the glasses, definitely don't use binoculars with the telescope. Somebody wrote somewhere that I read that if you hold your phone to the sun in a certain way to try to get a picture, it can reflect off your phone in a way that might also damage your eyes.

Let's say you're trying not to look at the sun, but you're holding your phone so that it's lens is facing the sun, there could be a reflection that could be harmful, but not using other magnifying optical devices is something I've come across in a few places.

Molly Webster: Yes. I would say that's all really great advice, and definitely something to stick to. We're going to have in some locations, and here in Austin, we'll have scientists with telescopes who are set up ready for a moment like this, but I wouldn't be doing it on your own, in your own backyard, so to speak. I also think just the tone of the message of the last caller of just being present for a moment in time. One of the things that we're going to do here in Austin is not actually have anything happening on the stage during the moment of totality.

In the moments of lead up, and then the moment of totality, and then in some minutes after, just letting participants and all of ourselves who are going to be on stage just experience it the way that they want to, with strangers and friends, solo, with their eclipse glasses on, and just be present for it. Here in Austin it'll be done in 01:45.

Brian Lehrer: 01:45?

Molly Webster: One minute and 45 seconds, yes. Then, that's the length of the entire totality. Then that varies across the United States. You'll get places in Ohio, even just outside of Austin, where they can get up to four and a half minutes of totality. It's one of the longest totalities and eclipses had in a long time.

Brian Lehrer: A listener writes to what I was just saying. "I bought filters to put over my binocular scope and camera." Maybe they make those filters. I'm not an expert on that, but just make sure you have the right thing if you're going to try anything like that. A listener writes, "I experienced a total eclipse by accident in Antigua in the '90s. The Montserrat volcano was spewing a few miles away. It blew my mind. The light was going through the trees, all projected crested reflections on the ground. It would take me a far longer text to describe the spiritual experience." That wasn't really an eclipse, but it was the effect of an eclipse caused by a volcano.

Molly Webster: That sounds so exciting. I have heard about some other effect that can happen with the eclipse called shadow bands. These are-- everyone's talking about the crescent shapes that are on the ground, but these are also almost wiggly, worm-like shadows that get pressed upon the earth in different ways. No one knows exactly why they happen. Sometimes people see them in eclipses and sometimes people don't. If you're one of the people that have seen a shadow band in any way, that would be cool to hear about or I wish somehow you could take a picture of it, but you really can't.

Brian Lehrer: Listener writes. "I was in Perry, Florida for the 1970 total solar eclipse. I was eight, and ran around the house and got scared in the eerie, quiet, dark." Then this person sent us a photograph of his mother, sister, grandmother and him. Another listener writes, "Cows started walking back to the barn in Georgia in that same eclipse, 1970." Timothy in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hi, Timothy.

Timothy: Hey, there. Thanks for having me.

Brian Lehrer: Thanks for calling. You were in a total eclipse, 2018, in Idaho, is that right?

Timothy: Yes, that's right. I was living in Salt Lake at the time, and we drove up there. It was about a four-hour drive. We got to some BLM campgrounds, which was really cool because you're out in nature and all that. As you said earlier, during the eclipse itself, the birds started making a lot of noise. All the dogs that were around, because there were different campgrounds and such. They started getting nervous and getting squirrely on your leash and everything, and that was all cool. I think I vaguely remember us talking about the shadows as well. I don't exactly remember what it looked like, but that was a really cool event. It lasted about a minute or so. Then the craziest part was coming home, I said it was a four-hour drive. It was 10 hours coming back. Everyone leaves at the same time after the eclipse.

Brian Lehrer: Oh, yes.

Timothy: If you're going out of town, if you're going to be using a road, watch out on the way home. It's probably better just to hang out.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much. Yes. Stay over tonight if you didn't stay over last night, wherever you're going, if you can. All right. We're almost out of time, but I'm going to play a clip from you guys at Radiolab, because we've been talking about the sun. Everybody talks about the sun with the eclipse. I want to play a clip from you at Radiolab about the Moon, and then I'll give you a chance to say anything you want about the Moon and its mysteries, and why we should show it a bit more love. 48 seconds of Moon facts from Radiolab.

Molly Webster: You are my captive audience, and I'm going to tell you all about the Moon in 10 minutes or less. Are you ready?

Co-Host: Let's do it.

Molly Webster: The Moon does look a lot more like Earth than I would've expected. There are the craters that Latif remembered, plus it has a bunch of mountain ranges. A point that's higher than Everest. Scientists have found Moon caves.

Co-Host: Woo.

Molly Webster: They've also found volcanoes that are billions and billions of years old.

Co-Host: With lava?

Molly Webster: With lava.

Latif: Whoa.

Molly Webster: It's very, very dry, old lava .

Latif: Okay.

Molly Webster: Really the first thing I learned about the Moon that really arrested me and made me want to know so much more about it is that the Moon is covered in soil that looks like sand. People will call it Moon dust, but it's incredibly sharp.

Co-Host: A little grain of it?

Molly Webster: Yes. A tiny, tiny grain of it, is razor sharp.

Brian Lehrer: Molly, because the sun is what we can't see. The Moon is what we can see. We have 15 seconds left in the show for anything you want to say about the Moon or anything else.

Molly Webster: I'm going to tell you that the Moon is probably having a moonquake while the eclipse is happening. Just imagine it up there trembling.

Brian Lehrer: Moonquake. Molly Webster's-

Molly Webster: Moonquake.

Brian Lehrer: -senior correspondent at Radiolab. Enjoy your event in Austin. Thanks for sharing with us. Good luck.

Molly Webster: Thanks so much, Brian. Have fun.

Brian Lehrer: Listeners, enjoy your eclipse experience, and stay tuned for All Of It.

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