Message #92823

[Bianca]

SOLAR ECLIPSE SAFETY








Safe viewing



The most important thing to keep in mind when viewing the sun, including during a partial eclipse, is to never look at even a portion of the sun directly without proper viewing glasses. Such special eyewear has special filters expressly designed for viewing the sun and can be found at some science and astronomy stores and online. An alternative is to purchase a piece of number 14 welder's glass from a welding supply store.

Sunglasses are not acceptable and your eyes can be permanently damaged by looking even for a fraction of a second at any eclipse. Telescopes and binoculars must be outfitted with special filters before they can be safely used.

Several tricks can be employed to watch an eclipse indirectly:

Use a small mirror, like a makeup mirror, explains veteran eclipse watcher and NASA researcher Fred Espenak. With masking tape, cover all but about a 1/2" square in the center of the mirror. Then hold the mirror at an angle and project the Sun onto a shaded wall or into a garage.

Create a simple version of what's called a pinhole camera. Start with two pieces of white paper, suggests University of Chicago astronomer Douglas Duncan. Poke a small hole in one with a pencil or pen. Let sunlight go through that hole and fall onto the second piece of paper, held a foot or two below the first, in its shadow.