The next solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024. A solar eclipse happens when the moon blocks the sun from our view. This process unfolds over a couple of hours. Watching a solar eclipse is a memorable experience, but you must do it safely to prevent serious eye injury or even blindness. Looking at the sun without a solar filter, whether through a camera lens or with your bare eyes, can severely damage your eyes and cause vision loss.
Safe ways to watch the eclipse
- Wear eclipse glasses with certified solar filters
Sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not enough to protect your vision if you look at the sun. Homemade filters are also a bad idea and will not protect your eyes.
Plan ahead and obtain eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewers. These products contain a solar filter that must meet a very specific worldwide standard known as ISO 12312-2. This filter is the only way to truly protect your eyes from the sun’s powerful rays.
The American Astronomical Society has a list of companies that supply eclipse glasses and solar viewers.
- Make a pinhole viewer to watch the eclipse indirectly
A safer and easier way to see the eclipse is through a pinhole projection or video display.
A pinhole viewer lets you project an image of the sun onto another surface, like paper, a wall or pavement. The image of the sun is safe to look at throughout the eclipse.
- View a live stream of the eclipse
NASA will have a live stream of the solar eclipse.
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/live/
For more information about eye health, visit the Academy’s EyeSmart website, www.eyesmart.org.