Getting excited about the upcoming solar eclipse on Aug. 21? If not, you will be after reading this article that includes 10 facts about the upcoming rare celestial phenomenon.
If you’re already excited, you’ll want to make sure you’re well prepared to witness it. In order to do that you’ll need special glasses so that you don’t damage your eyes.
You need glasses because staring at the sun will damage your eyes. It’s called Eclipse Blindness which is when you get burns on your retinas when high visible light hits the retina. It’s dangerous because your retinas don’t have pain sensors so you won’t feel it but it will blind you.
You need the glasses to filter out the sunlight so you can actually see the eclipse.
If you’re buying a pair of solar eclipse glasses, you’ll want to make sure that they are ISO certified and that you cant see anything except bright lights like the sun. You can purchase eclipse glasses online for fairly cheaply but they are selling out fast.
There are also lots of local libraries that are giving out eclipse glasses for free. You can find a map of those areas and details on free glasses here.
But if those are already snatched up in your area, you don’t have to miss out on this amazing event. You can make your very own solar eclipse viewer.
Be advised that you still CANNOT DIRECTLY LOOK AT THE SUN with these DIY methods. What you’ll be viewing is a projection of the eclipse.
If you’re looking for something simple, you can use the infographic above to make a pinhole viewer. If you want to get slightly fancier, you can make a pinhole projector using a cereal box.
Step 1) Take a piece of paper and place an upward cereal box on it and trace around its edges. Cut out the rectangular piece and glue it to the inside of the bottom of your cereal box.
Step 2) Cut of the ends of the tabs on the top of your cereal box as seen below.
Step 3) Cover one end with tin foil and tape it to your box.
Step 4) Use a nail to push a small hole through the foil.
Step 5) Hold your viewer with the sun to your back and let the sun shine through your pin hole.
Step 6) Move the box around until you see an image of the sun on the bottom of your box.
Step 7) The eclipse will look something like what you see below.
For more details you can watch the NASA video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
