How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely Without Special Glasses

But viewers should be wary of letting their enthusiasm get the best of them while watching. There are important safety measures to take, especially to protect your eyes.

It is never safe to look directly at the sun during an eclipse without eye protection, except during totality. This is why solar eclipse glasses are crucial because they are specially designed to allow you to see the sun while it is only partially covered by the shadow of the moon without risking damage to your vision.

But in the weeks leading up to the eclipse, prices for these protective glasses jumped 27%, according to Forbes. And eclipse glasses could become harder to find as supplies sell out due to skyrocketing demand.

If you are caught without a pair on April 8, don’t panic! You have options. Here are some easy ways to enjoy the eclipse without special glasses.

Use a solar filter to look through your phone camera

If you can’t get your hands on a pair of eclipse glasses, you might have better luck purchasing a solar filter for your smartphone camera.

The sun’s harsh UV rays can damage your phone’s camera lens, as well as your eyes. A solar filter allows you to safely point your phone’s camera directly at the eclipse so you can watch it on the screen. Overall, you can remove the filter without risking damage to your phone.

Plus, this method has the added benefit of allowing you to take photos of the eclipse as you watch it.

To get the best photo, you can use an app called Solar Snap. It was created by former Hubble Space Telescope astronomer Doug Duncan and adjusts your phone’s camera to the perfect settings for photographing the eclipse.

Wear welder’s glass, shade 12 or higher.

Welder’s Glass is designed to protect welders’ eyes from the bright light of their acetylene torches. Because it blocks UV rays, it’s also perfect for sun gazing.

Just make sure the welder glass you use is dark enough to provide sufficient protection. NASA recommends shades 12, 13 or 14, with 12 being the least opaque and 14 being the most opaque.

Building a pinhole camera

Making a pinhole camera is a fun and easy way to ensure your eyes will be protected during the solar eclipse. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory offers instructions for building a simple one in just a few minutes.

All you need are scissors, foil, a piece of thick cardstock (or paper), tape, and a needle.

First, cut a hole in the middle of a sheet of cardstock. Next, glue the edges of a sheet of foil onto it and carefully pierce a hole in the center of the sheet with a needle. And There you go!

Hold your pinhole camera to something white, like a wall or a sheet of paper, and the shadow of the eclipse will appear. You may need to move your camera around a bit to determine where the best focal point is.

Use a strainer to project the eclipse onto a piece of paper

This method works the same as a pinhole camera, but requires no cutting, stitching or recording.

Small holes in a kitchen colander can shine the light of the eclipse onto a piece of paper or cardboard so you can see the effect.

Stand with your back to the sun and the piece of paper in front of you. Hold the strainer above your head and watch dozens of small eclipse shadows appear. They should look like small crescents as the moon moves in front of the sun.

If you don’t have a colander handy, you can grab anything with small holes: a straw hat or slotted spoon can also work.

Make a fist

It works the same as a strainer or pinhole camera, but instead of using a bunch of little holes, it only uses one.

With your back facing the sun and your paper or wall in front, raise your fist above your head.

Make sure your grip is tight enough to allow only a small point of light to pass through. In the center of your hand shadow, you will see the shape of the eclipse projected onto the surface.

Find a tree

Depending on where you are in the United States, this might not work for you. But if you’re in a warmer state where the trees have already leafed out for spring, all you have to do is find one and seek its shade.

You’ll want to find one that has significant leaf coverage and a good amount of shade. Look for spots of sunlight filtering through the leaves. During the eclipse, they will take the shape of a crescent.

To make them stand out, you can place a white sheet of paper in the shade of the tree.

Point binoculars at a piece of paper

Never look directly at the sun with binoculars. Concentrated sunlight can quickly and seriously damage your eyes.

But you can use them to project the eclipse onto a sheet of paper. Simply point the front of the binoculars at it and point the other end toward the sun.

You can even adjust the sharpness of the projection using the binoculars’ focus knob.

Watch the eclipse live online

If all else fails, you can always turn to a digital live stream and watch the eclipse from the comfort of your home. Here are a few different ones you can use.

Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer and Dave Mosher contributed to an earlier version of this article.