Solar eclipse

[dennis in se pa]

When I was young, there was also an eclipse. We were told to never look directly at it even with special glasses on. We had a paper with a hole in it that showed the shadow onto another piece of paper. Is there something different today?

[Sooner or later]

You can buy cheap solar vjew glasses for safe viewing. I bought 30 pair at my local Walmart for my little sister's middle school class.

Here is a link to an eclipse time lapse simulation for my town. You can change the location to your lo location. Pinch outnon the screen to enlarge and set to 60x.

https://eclipse2024.org/eclipse-simulator/2024/index.html?city_id=32858

[Steve Carlton]

April 8, 2024 - Where will you be?

[1990C4S]

My friend works in Emerg, there was an internal memo from the local ophthalmologist that basically said 'if people damage their eyes looking at the eclipse, do NOT send them to me, there is NOTHING we can do'.

Get some appropriate glasses if you want to watch.

It is theoretically perfectly safe to look with the naked eye during the full overlap. I won't be risking it.

[masraum]

When it's not yet complete, you need special glasses. BEWARE OF CHEAP INADEQUATE FAKES. When the eclipse is complete you can look.

Or that's how I understand it.

I have a filter for my camera, several pairs of glasses, and a pair of eclipse specific binoculars from the last partial that hit Texas a few years back.

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

My friend works in Emerg, there was an internal memo from the local ophthalmologist that basically said 'if people damage their eyes looking at the eclipse, do NOT send them to me, there is NOTHING we can do'.

Get some appropriate glasses if you want to watch.

It is theoretically perfectly safe to look with the naked eye during the full overlap. I won't be risking it.

"Theoretically" isn't a correct term here.

If you are in the actual path of totality, it is 100% safe to look straight up DURING TOTALITY. Not before, not after, not right as the Sun starts to reappear. When the Sun is totally blocked it is...total blocked. So, you can look up. You NEED to look up, because you can see the Sun's atmosphere then, as well as 3 or 4 planets and possible a comet.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Sooner or later

You can buy cheap solar vjew glasses for safe viewing. I bought 30 pair at my local Walmart for my little sister's middle school class.

Here is a link to an eclipse time lapse simulation for my town. You can change the location to your lo location. Pinch outnon the screen to enlarge and set to 60x.

https://eclipse2024.org/eclipse-simulator/2024/index.html?city_id=32858

How cool of you to buy glasses for the class.
Thank you for the link.

We in West Central Ohio are right smack in the middle of the totality.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Pazuzu

"Theoretically" isn't a correct term here.

If you are in the actual path of totality, it is 100% safe to look straight up DURING TOTALITY. Not before, not after, not right as the Sun starts to reappear. When the Sun is totally blocked it is...total blocked. So, you can look up. You NEED to look up, because you can see the Sun's atmosphere then, as well as 3 or 4 planets and possible a comet.

That's assuming most of central Texas isn't overcast next Mon as is forecast, Dammit!

[JackDidley]

Late 70s we had an eclipse and we looked through welding helmets at work. Was not that exciting to me. Supposed to last around 4 minutes this time. Lots of people coming to southern Indiana for the event. I will sit on the porch and wait for the darkness.

[Steve Carlton]

A total eclipse is MUCH better than a partial. If you get a chance to see it, it's worthwhile. It's that eerie.

[mjohnson]

(possibly the worst dad and nerd/kid parent anywhere...)

Cloud-out for TX/OK? I'm cool with that. Mrs mjohnson is still hoping to do the 14h each-way-if-no-traffic from here in NM to see the totality. As awesome as an eclipse is, I'm not ready to deal with the mayhem.

I've seen two. One was from a ship in the gulf of CA in '91 and one was NW of Scotsbluff NE in '17. The one on the plains was a massive traffic "experience". I can't imagine something closer to larger populations...

The sad think is that it seems like this is the last in a little surge of them -- it may be some years/decades until we see more in the USA.

And yes, of course we'll be with the hordes, and likely out of gas somewhere on I40...

[DRONE]

any rectangular box, pinhole 3/4 up towards the open top and a piece of white paper taped on the opposite end.
point the pinhole towards the sun.
cheap alternative to looking thru something.

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by DRONE

any rectangular box, pinhole 3/4 up towards the open top and a piece of white paper taped on the opposite end.
point the pinhole towards the sun.
cheap alternative to looking thru something.

Heck, half of a pencil point through a 1ft square of cardboard works. Woodlands, or even the shade of a tree, are really trippy with the little crescent-suns projected everywhere.

Our ship's room keys back in '91 for the big Hawaii-Brazil eclipse were the physical "punch-card" things. As in, holes in a pattern on a piece of plastic. Waiting for totality, we'd amuse ourselves by projecting little "suns" onto everything. (ok, we were 15-16yo)

[Aurel]

Is it more damaging for the eyes to look at an eclipse than to look at the sun without eclipse?
If that is the case I’d like to understand why. I have looked at the sun before, and my eyes are just fine…

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by Aurel

Is it more damaging for the eyes to look at an eclipse than to look at the sun without eclipse?
If that is the case I’d like to understand why. I have looked at the sun before, and my eyes are just fine…

You may look at the sun at the point of totality without filter and be fine. Anytime other than totality you must use a filter.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Aurel

Is it more damaging for the eyes to look at an eclipse than to look at the sun without eclipse?
If that is the case I’d like to understand why. I have looked at the sun before, and my eyes are just fine…

Originally Posted by flatbutt

You may look at the sun at the point of totality without filter and be fine. Anytime other than totality you must use a filter.

Yep, but I get what he's saying. I've looked at the sun before, and I can still see.

I'm going to take a guess here.

I looked at the sun as a kid. I was squinting (it was bright) and I suspect kid eyes will stop down to allow very little light in through very small pupils. Also, if you look a the sun, it's normally only for a very short period quick glance.

I suspect as an adult our pupils won't contract as small as when we are young. Also, if you're watching an eclipse, you're likely to look at the sun for a (relatively) LONG time compared to a quick glance. Also, as an adult, our pain threshold is different than when younger. I'm sure plenty of us have been working on something, felt something (or maybe didn't even realize that we felt something) and then looked down to realize that we had blood running out of some cut or scratch or scrape, because as an adult you're thinking "yeah, I felt that, but this crap's got to get done."

I think the main problem is that folks watching an eclipse are likely to look at the sun for a much longer time than someone that looks up at the sun and think's "I glanced at the sun for 0.1 second and I'm not blind."

[Rusty Heap]

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240328-nasa-jets-chase-solar-eclipse


The Shadow of the Eclipse moves at 1600 mph. wonder what the MPG is?

[Steve Carlton]

"The Shadow knows."

[3rd_gear_Ted]

Uh, don't eat any food during the eclipse, the solar radiation is "different"...

[stevej37]

I can't wait....I've got my eye protection all set.