How to safely view the upcoming solar eclipse

by | Mar 28, 2024 | Science

People across the continental United States will witness a partial or total solar eclipse next month, but you’ll need to take precautions to avoid injuring your eyes.On April 8, the moon will pass between Earth and the sun, temporarily blocking the sun’s light. During the celestial alignment, afternoon skies will darken for a short time along a path more than 100 miles wide, which cuts across Mexico, part of the U.S. and a small section of eastern Canada.Those outside this so-called path of totality will be able to see a partial solar eclipse, with the moon obscuring only part of the sun.To view the spectacle safely, you can wear specialized glasses or build a pinhole projector. But do not try to view the eclipse through normal sunglasses or use tools like telescopes to watch it — even while wearing proper glasses — unless they are equipped with a special filter.Here’s what to know.How to find proper eclipse glassesGlasses made specifically for looking at the sun offer the only safe way to view the eclipse directly.“Eclipse glasses are very important to prevent photothermal injury to the retina, and not just any old glasses — they have to be eclipse glasses with the ISO 12312-2 filter,” said Dr. Nicole Bajic, a comprehensive ophthalmologist at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute.The glasses are “thousands of times darker” than sunglasses, according to NASA.Without such precautions, watching the eclipse can cause permanent eye damage.“It’s called solar retinopathy, and it’s damage to very sensitive, intricate cells that make up the retina, which is the lining of the back of the eye, and that’s what trans …

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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnPeople across the continental United States will witness a partial or total solar eclipse next month, but you’ll need to take precautions to avoid injuring your eyes.On April 8, the moon will pass between Earth and the sun, temporarily blocking the sun’s light. During the celestial alignment, afternoon skies will darken for a short time along a path more than 100 miles wide, which cuts across Mexico, part of the U.S. and a small section of eastern Canada.Those outside this so-called path of totality will be able to see a partial solar eclipse, with the moon obscuring only part of the sun.To view the spectacle safely, you can wear specialized glasses or build a pinhole projector. But do not try to view the eclipse through normal sunglasses or use tools like telescopes to watch it — even while wearing proper glasses — unless they are equipped with a special filter.Here’s what to know.How to find proper eclipse glassesGlasses made specifically for looking at the sun offer the only safe way to view the eclipse directly.“Eclipse glasses are very important to prevent photothermal injury to the retina, and not just any old glasses — they have to be eclipse glasses with the ISO 12312-2 filter,” said Dr. Nicole Bajic, a comprehensive ophthalmologist at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute.The glasses are “thousands of times darker” than sunglasses, according to NASA.Without such precautions, watching the eclipse can cause permanent eye damage.“It’s called solar retinopathy, and it’s damage to very sensitive, intricate cells that make up the retina, which is the lining of the back of the eye, and that’s what trans …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
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