Just glancing up at the eclipse in short bursts without proper eye protection can cause cumulative damage.
The eclipse is coming! The eclipse is coming! Squeeeeeeee!
On Monday, August 21st, the shadow of the moon will pass over the sun, leaving chunks of North America in darkness for a short time. This is a once in a lifetime event for many of us and it’s going to be so heckin’ cool!
While I don't live in the “path of totality” where the sun will be completely blotted out, I still want to get my geek on with my kids for eclipse day. So I did what many people did and ordered some eclipse glasses from Amazon. Then I got an email that many people got from Amazon telling me that my eclipse glasses might not be safe enough for use and to discard them. Also, Amazon refunded my money.
After letting my kids stumble around in the glasses for a while — they really do block a lot of light, even if it’s not enough for staring directly at an eclipse — I set them aside and started figuring out what the deal is on viewing the eclipse.
Here’s what I found out:
1. Looking at the sun with unprotected eyes leaves the eyes vulnerable to damage.
Even when the sun appears mostly blocked by shadow, the rays are coming at your eyes. It’s just that the sunlight is dim enough that you don’t have your usual reflexive reaction to bright sunlight.
2. The damage is called solar retinopathy and is caused when the sun’s light overstimulates the light sensing cells in the retina of the eye.
They then release a flood of chemicals that can cause damage. The damage is often painless so you won’t even know what you’re doing as you’re doing it.
3. You can cause damage in as little as 90 seconds.
90 NON-CONSECUTIVE seconds. Just glancing up at the eclipse in short bursts without proper eye protection can cause cumulative damage.
4. You really need safe eclipse glasses to avoid eye damage.
There are specific guidelines for eclipse glasses and you should really make sure yours fit the bill. There’s a list of manufacturers and retailers for them in the Washington Post.
5. Many eclipse glasses are too big for kids.
The glasses could easily slip on kids' little faces. Also, kids are curious and like to lift up their glasses or peek around them to see the actual sky. Be sure to monitor kids very closely and keep their eyes safe!
6. If you want to go old-school, you can make a pinhole camera.
This activity guide from the Girl Scouts talks about making one.
If you don’t want to risk getting the wrong eye protection, there are a lot of ways to look at the eclipse from the great indoors. Museums and planetariums are hosting eclipse day events. There will be lots of television coverage of the sky that day. And NASA, among other sites, will be running a live stream.
So now that we have the safety rundown, happy eclipsing, friends! Enjoy the day!
