A total solar eclipse will pass over North America on April 8 – and it won’t happen again for 20 years, according to NASA.
You might not want to miss it, but looking at the sun for even a few seconds can blind you or cause lasting eye damage.
The only time the eclipse can be viewed safely is when it is completely covered by the Moon. Even if most of the sun is covered by the moon and there is just a little light passing through, it’s more than enough to damage your vision.
And be warned, unless it’s equipped with a solar filter, viewing the eclipse through a camera lens or binoculars won’t make you any safer than watching with your own eyes.
“Observing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars or telescope without a special solar filter attached to the front of the optics will instantly cause serious eye injury,” NASA said on its website.
Fortunately, there is a way to view the eclipse safely, with a pair of special eclipse glasses, although NASA has said it does not endorse any particular brand of solar viewfinder. They warned people that normal sunglasses are not safe for viewing eclipses, “no matter how dark”.
“Safe sunsights are thousands of times darker and should comply with the international standard ISO 12312-2,” NASA said.
They urged people to check their eclipse glasses or portable viewers for tear marks or any signs of damage. The American Astronomical Society issued a press release warning people to be on the lookout for counterfeit glasses and provided a list of brands that meet safety requirements.
NASA has not indicated anywhere on its website that people should try to make their own solar glasses.
Instead, if people can’t get their hands on the eclipse’s specifications, NASA said they can use an “indirect viewing method, which does not involve looking directly at the sun.” They recommended that people make a pinhole projector, which has a small aperture that projects an image of the sun onto a nearby surface.
“Do NOT look at the sun through the pinhole camera!” » NASA warned.
NASA said people can build their own pinhole projector with common household items.
Live Science has shared a step-by-step guide on creating a homemade eclipse viewer.
Your materials
Get a cardboard box, like a shoe box for example, a white sheet of paper, tape, a pin, aluminum foil and a cutter.
Cut a hole
Use the craft knife to make a one-inch hole in one side of the shoebox, near the top.
Take your foil
Take some aluminum foil and stick it over the hole you made in the cardboard box.
Drill a hole
Take the pin and poke a hole in the center of the leaf.
Make a paper screen
Glue white paper to the inside of the box, on the side directly opposite the hole. This is your DIY projection screen where you can see the sun shining through the hole.
Create your viewing hole
You never want to look at the sun through the pinhole camera because it can damage your eyes. Instead, you will cut a hole in the side next to the white piece of paper so you can view the eclipse on your homemade screen.
Watch
You can test your homemade viewer by taking it outside during the day. With their back to the sun, make sure the viewer is aligned with their own shadow.
Now look through the hole you cut in the side of the box and look for a circle of light on the white paper.
During the eclipse, you will see a shadow pass over the bright spot.
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