{"id":16326,"date":"2024-03-02T12:47:59","date_gmt":"2024-03-02T12:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/02\/heres-what-can-happen-when-you-view-an-eclipse-incorrectly-and-how-to-avoid-that-this-april\/"},"modified":"2024-03-02T12:47:59","modified_gmt":"2024-03-02T12:47:59","slug":"heres-what-can-happen-when-you-view-an-eclipse-incorrectly-and-how-to-avoid-that-this-april","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/02\/heres-what-can-happen-when-you-view-an-eclipse-incorrectly-and-how-to-avoid-that-this-april\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s what can happen when you view an eclipse incorrectly \u2014 and how to avoid that this April"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A stunning total solar eclipse will be visible to millions of people across Mexico, the United States and Canada on April 8. <\/p>\n

Astronomers are encouraging everyone within the path to enjoy this rare sight for the last time until August 2044 \u2014 but only if they can do so safely. And sunglasses won\u2019t be enough to protect your eyes for this celestial event. <\/p>\n

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun\u2019s face. <\/p>\n

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<\/span> It\u2019s not too late: Where to see April\u2019s total solar eclipse<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Those within the path of totality, or locations where the moon\u2019s shadow will completely cover the sun, will see a total solar eclipse. People outside the path of totality will still be able to see a partial solar eclipse, where the moon only blocks part of the sun\u2019s face. <\/p>\n

If your location only affords a view of the partial solar eclipse, some of the sun\u2019s powerful light will always be visible. And any glimpse of the sun\u2019s brightness with the naked eye is not only uncomfortable, it\u2019s dangerous. <\/p>\n

Why you shouldn\u2019t look directly at the eclipse<\/h3>\n

The only time it\u2019s safe to view the sun without eye protection is during the \u201ctotality\u201d of a total solar eclipse, or the brief moments when the moon completely blocks the light of the sun, according to\u00a0NASA. <\/p>\n

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<\/span> Can you really go blind staring at a solar eclipse?<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Directly staring at the sun can result in blindness or disrupted vision. During the 2017 total solar eclipse, a young woman was\u00a0diagnosed with solar retinopathy, retinal damage from exposure to solar radiation, in both eyes after viewing the eclipse with what doctors believed were eclipse glasses not held to the safety standard. <\/p>\n

There is no treatment for solar retinopathy. It can improve or worsen, but it is a permanent condition. <\/p>\n

Using eclipse glasses and solar viewers<\/h3>\n

To view the eclipse, wear certified eclipse glasses or use a handheld solar viewer. Separately, you can observe the sun with a telescope, binoculars or camera that has a\u00a0special solar filter on the front, which acts the same way eclipse glasses would. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou need certified\u00a0ISO 12312-2\u00a0compliant solar eclipse glasses. There are plenty of safe sellers online,\u201d said Alex Lockwood, strategic content and integration lead for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters. \u201cWe cannot stress enough how important it is to obtain a pair of safe certified solar eclipse glasses in order to witness this annular event.\u201d <\/p>\n

Sunglasses won\u2019t work in place of eclipse glasses or solar viewers, which are 100,000 times darker and held to an international safety standard. <\/p>\n

The lenses of solar eclipse glasses are made of black polymer, or resin infused with carbon particles, that blocks nearly all visible, infrared and ultraviolet light, according to\u00a0The Planetary Society. Sunglasses don\u2019t block infrared radiation. <\/p>\n

For safe manufacturers and resellers of eclipse glasses and filters for optical devices, including cameras and smartphones, check out the\u00a0list curated by the American Astronomical Society. <\/p>\n

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<\/span> \u2018Ring of fire\u2019 eclipse appears over the Americas<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Put on your eclipse glasses before looking up and remember to turn away from the sun before you remove them again. Always keep an eye on any children wearing eclipse glasses to make sure they don\u2019t remove them while looking at the sun. <\/p>\n

If you normally wear eyeglasses, keep them on and put eclipse glasses over them or hold a handheld viewer in front of them, according to the American Astronomical Society. <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t look at the sun through any unfiltered optical device \u2014 camera lens, telescope, binoculars \u2014 while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer, according to\u00a0NASA. Solar rays can still burn through the filter on the glasses or viewer, given how concentrated they can be through an optical device, and can cause severe eye damage. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s also possible to use welding filters to view the eclipse safely because the international safety standard was partially derived from using such filters to view the sun. <\/p>\n

Welding filters made of tempered glass or metal-coated polycarbonate and with a shade number of 12 or higher allow for safe viewing, but many find shade 13 or 14 to be the best and similar to wearing eclipse glasses, according to the American Astronomical Society. Just know that the sun will appear green instead yellowish-orange or white. These filters aren\u2019t usually on the shelf at supply stores, but they might be available online. <\/p>\n

Auto-darkening or adjustable welding helmets aren\u2019t recommended because they may not darken quickly enough to view the sun. <\/p>\n

Keep your glasses<\/h3>\n

As long as the eclipse glasses or solar viewers you\u2019re using comply with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard and aren\u2019t torn, scratched or damaged in any way, they don\u2019t \u201cexpire\u201d and can be used indefinitely.\u00a0Also, there is no limit on how long you can view the sun while wearing them. <\/p>\n

Some glasses and viewers carry outdated warnings about using the glasses for more than three minutes at a time or recommend throwing them away after more than three years, but these do not apply to ISO 12312-2-certified viewers, according to the American Astronomical Society. <\/p>\n

Save your eclipse glasses and viewers for future eclipses by storing them at room temperature in an envelope or their original packaging to avoid scratches. <\/p>\n

Never use water, glass cleaner, baby wipes or other wet wipes to clean eclipse glasses \u2014 the moisture could cause the cardboard frames to detach from the lenses. Instead, carefully wipe the lenses clean with a tissue or cloth. <\/p>\n

Indirect viewing of the eclipse<\/h3>\n

If you don\u2019t have certified glasses on hand, eclipses can also be viewed indirectly using a\u00a0pinhole projector, such as a hole punched through an index card. These work when you stand with your back to the sun and hold up the card. The pinhole projects an image of the crescent or ring-shaped sun on the ground or other surfaces. <\/p>\n

But never face the sun and look directly at it through the pinhole. <\/p>\n

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<\/span> The sun\u2019s activity is peaking sooner than expected<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Other pinhole projectors you may already have on hand include colanders, straw hats or anything with small holes in it. Or you can simply hold up your hands, space out your fingers and cross them over each other to create a waffle pattern. The small space between will reflect the sun\u2019s crescent during a partial eclipse or a ring during the annular eclipse. <\/p>\n

Standing by a leafy tree? The small spaces between leaves will dapple patterns of the eclipse phase on the ground. <\/p>\n\n

This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A stunning total solar eclipse will be visible to millions of people across Mexico, the United States and Canada on April 8. Astronomers are encouraging everyone within the path to enjoy this rare sight for the last time until August 2044 \u2014 but only if they can do so safely. And sunglasses won\u2019t be enough <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":16327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16326","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}