The sun warms our skin. It lights up the daytime sky. When it fades in winter, we all miss its brightness. Yet, it is not a good thing to stare directly at the sun. This is a recipe for disaster. Even when a solar eclipse is in place, it is important to observe the rules of eclipse safety. This is the only way to protect your vision.
What Not to Do during a Solar Eclipse
If you are going to view a solar eclipse, you need to take precautions to protect your eyes. This is not to say eclipse safety is a complex issue. It is not, but certain things need to be kept in mind.
* Do NOT – unless you properly protect your eyes, look directly at the sun during a solar eclipse. This has the potential of causing severe damage to the retina of your eyes. You may not go blind, but your eyes may suffer the aftereffects for several day. The famous physicist and mathematician, Isaac Newton (1643-1727), went blind for three days and felt the after affects for approximately a week after he used a mirror to gaze at the center of the sun.
* Do not view a solar eclipse even when the sun is partially or almost completely hidden by the moon. The sun’s rays can still negatively affect your eyes. Only look at it without solar eclipse safety glasses or viewers when the eclipse is total.
* Never use materials to look at the solar eclipse or the sun that are not capable of properly filtering the rays. According to various respected sources, including NASA, this list includes such things as sunglasses, smoked glass, binoculars, color film, CDs or floppy discs.
* Never assume a method you read about on the internet is going to be an effective filter for the sun’s ultra violet and rays. Make sure the eclipse safety measures are backed up by research and supported by reliable and reputable sources.
Solar Eclipse Safety
Whether a solar eclipse is partial or total, you should NEVER look at the event directly. Your eyes require some form of reliable and safe protection. You do not want to take chances with something as precious as your sight. If you believe you have found a novel way of viewing the events, make sure you run it by an expert first. It is best not to take the risk of damaging your eyesight. With any solar eclipse, safety first should be your guiding principle.
