Partial or annular solar eclipses are different from total solar eclipses — there is no period of totality when the moon completely blocks the sun’s bright face. Therefore, during partial or annular solar eclipses, it is never safe to look directly at the eclipse without proper eye protection.
When watching a partial or annular solar eclipse directly with your eyes, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses — eclipse glasses — or a safe hand-held solar viewer at all times. Eclipse glasses are not regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, are not safe for viewing the sun. Safe solar viewers are thousands of times darker and ought to comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard.
Always inspect your eclipse glasses or hand-held viewer before use; if torn, scratched, or otherwise damaged, discard the device. Always supervise children using solar viewers.
Do not look at the sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a hand-held solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury.
If you don’t have eclipse glasses or a hand-held solar viewer, you can use an indirect viewing method, which does not involve looking directly at the sun. One way is to use a pinhole projector, which has a small opening (for example, a hole punched in an index card) and projects an image of the sun onto a nearby surface. With the sun at your back, you can then safely view the projected image. Do not look at the sun through the pinhole.
Do not use eclipse glasses or hand-held viewers with cameras, binoculars or telescopes. Those require different types of solar filters. When viewing a partial or annular eclipse through cameras, binoculars or telescopes equipped with proper solar filters, you do not need to wear eclipse glasses. The solar filters do the same job as the eclipse glasses to protect your eyes.
Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, telescope, binoculars or any other optical device. Note that solar filters must be attached to the front of any telescope, binoculars, camera lens or other optics.
The Valencia County News-Bulletin is a locally owned and operated community newspaper, dedicated to serving Valencia County since 1910 through the highest journalistic and professional business standards. The VCNB is published weekly on Thursdays, including holidays both in print and online.
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April 25, 2024
