Day to turn dark on Monday for solar eclipse
The sun can and will harm your eyes, even under normal conditions. But during the upcoming solar eclipse on Monday, it can do much worse.
Monday’s event is the talk of the town, and while the temporary blotting of the sun is certainly an awe-inspiring spectacle, citizens eager to watch the eclipse should understand the various risks and precautions needed to avoid eye damage that prevents them from watching future eclipses -- or anything at all.
On August 21, the moon will assert its dominance
over the sun and create the solar corona- the bright ring that forms around the moon during an eclipse- before passing on.
Though briefly, the solar corona shines intensely enough to damage the eye’s retinas, the part of the eye responsible for transmitting data to the brain, and can cause loss of central vision, color blindness, altered color vision, distorted vision, and blindness in extreme cases.
Victims of retinal burn may not experience damage or be aware of damage for hours, but those who suffer any of these s y mptoms af t er t he eclipse are urged t o check in with an eye doctor as soon as possible.
Eye damage is not guaranteed, nor is the damage promised to be permanent, but spectators are encouraged to practice caution in the form of eye-wear. Sunglasses will not protect viewers from the strength of the sun; Only certified eclipse glasses are to be used for t he viewing. Eclipse glasses allow the passage of far less light than sunglasses, can be worn over regular prescription glasses, and are cost efficient. Stores like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target have eclipse glasses on sale for a range of $6-$12.
Eclipse glasses with scratches, scuffs, dents, or any age damage should not be used, and buyers should avoid counterfeit eclipse glasses by purchasing only from quality, trusted stores.
In the case of total solar eclipses, viewers do not have to wear eye protection as long as the moon is totally eclipsing the sun.
Once the moon begins to move out of the light’s path, spectators should immediately return to usi ng eclipse gl asses. Watching the eclipse from television is completely safe, as with viewing from a planetarium.
Those looking for a more creative way to watch the eclipse may be interested in pinhole projectors. To forge a pinhole projector, acquire two sheets of paper and poke a tiny hole through one, ensuring the hole is smooth.
Holding the punctured piece of paper to the sun and allowing the light to flood through the hole will project an image of the eclipse onto the other sheet of paper at no risk to your eyes.
Georgia will see the largest percent of the moon eclipsed on its Northeast corners from 2:36-2:40p.m.
This coming Monday’s eclipse will be the first coast t o coast s olar eclipse in almost a century, so be sure to remember the event with a positive outcome and be able to see those in the future by preventing a painful injury to the eyes.