Q&A on the News

Q: It was great to see the congregation of the Friendship Baptist Church begin worship in their new and beautiful building. I’m curious, did they save or use any of their old church building in the new one?

—Mary Spain, Peachtree City

A: The 146-year-old bell, stained glass, cornerstone, organ and a few bricks were brought over from the old Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta, Diane Larche’, a spokeswoman for the church, told Q&A on the News.

The church plans to create a museum in its new home, at 80 Walnut St. SW in Atlanta, that will display items from the old church. The church’s old home was demolished to make room for Mercedez-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta.

Q: Can you watch the solar eclipse through the camera on your phone? —Mark Boucher, Atlanta A: You should not view the partially eclipsed or uneclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, which includes a phone camera, according to the American Astronomical Society.

Also, do not view the sun through a camera and other optical devices while using eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer, because the concentrated solar rays could damage the filter and enter one or both eyes, causing serious damage, the AAS says. The AAS’s safety recommendations are available at eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety.

Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).