If you’re planning to take selfies during the total solar eclipse on April 8, you’ll want to dress for success.
As the eclipse approaches totality and the sky darkens, the way our eyes perceive light changes and colors become more muted.
This is especially noticeable four to five minutes before totality, when the eclipse enters the mesopic viewing zone – when it is just dark enough for everything to appear grayish and silvery.
This can lead to some really boring selfies.
That’s why experts at Solar Eyeglasses, a solar eclipse eyewear company, encourage eclipse watchers to avoid wearing neutral clothing and instead wear red and green clothing.
It’s important to note that taking a selfie during a solar eclipse can be dangerous. Even if you’re not facing the sun, harmful UV rays can bounce off your phone screen and reach your eyes.
But you can do it safely: just make sure you wear your solar eclipse glasses to protect your eyes from damage and that your phone’s camera is protected by a solar filter.
Or if you want to take a photo without eclipse glasses, you can safely remove them during totality, when the sun is completely eclipsed. But the whole thing only lasts about a few minutes, so be prepared and be quick.
Why wear green and red during the total eclipse
As ambient light decreases, the Purjinke effect makes reds dark and muted, as you can see by the changing color of this red geranium. But notice how vibrant the green leaves in the background remain. Klbrain / Wikimedia Commons
Green stands out most in the dim light of a total eclipse. But if you contrast that green with the red, it will be even more striking, a Solar Eyeglasses spokesperson told BI by email.
During an eclipse, the transition from daylight to darkness is gradual enough that we enter an intermediate phase where the cones in our eyes – which help us see vibrant colors in daylight – and rods – which help us distinguish blues and greens in dim light. light — work at the same time.
This triggers a change in our perception of color. This phenomenon is called the Purkinje effect.
It makes everything look gray and silver, like you’re looking at the world through gray-tinted glasses, Gordon Telepun, creator of the Solar Eclipse Timer app, said in a video.
Mesopic vision begins in the last 4 to 5 minutes before a solar eclipse reaches totality, making red objects appear dark and muted while green objects stand out. Matt Anderson Photography / Getty Images
For example, reds appear muted. But because your rod cells are working overtime during the dark, mesopic vision zone, green is more likely to stand out.
Wearing a red and green outfit can create a striking visual contrast in your selfies. In the few minutes before totality, your red clothes will appear darker – almost black – but your green clothes will still appear green. Against each other, your green clothes will definitely pop.
Other Tips for Taking Selfies
There are a few other important things to remember when taking a selfie during the eclipse.
If you are using your smartphone, be aware that the eclipsed sun will appear quite small in the photo.
For a closer image, use a digital camera or DSLR instead. Just be sure to protect your camera lens with a solar filter.
And don’t forget the principles of good selfie taking: use a selfie stick or tripod, switch to portrait mode or enable live photo mode, and if you own an Apple Watch and an iPhone Use the Bluetooth connection to create a remote shutter to avoid having to jump in and out of shooting with a timer.
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