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Solar Eclipse Countdown Day 4: Eclipse Safety

 Today’s topic is: Eclipse Safety.


You know not to look at the sun, right? 


This is even more important during an eclipse. The overall light is decreased, so your pupils will dilate to let in more light. However, since the actual intensity of the sun is undiminished, you will damage your retina even quicker. The retina does not contain pain receptors, so you won’t necessarily feel anything as you destroy your ability to see. It’s called solar retinopathy and there is no cure for severe cases. 


Now that you’ve been sufficiently warned, there are ways to watch the eclipse safely.


Ways to safely observe the sun:

  • Binoculars/telescope with a solar filter (we’ll have the school’s 8 inch refractor on the field, if it’s not raining)

  • Eclipse Glasses* (we have enough for all students and faculty/staff. They’re selling out through other sources, but you might be able to find some online, HEB, or Sonic. Prices are going up, so watch out for scalpers and imitations)




Safe direct viewing on Monday:

When viewing the sun during an eclipse:

  • Keep your solar viewing glasses on until you can see absolutely nothing.

  • Take off your glasses and enjoy the view

  • As soon as you see the merest sliver of the sun returning, immediately put your glasses back on.

  • And of course, follow any directions given to you by a trained science teacher


Driving during the eclipse:

Avoid this if at all possible. There are fears that other drivers will be pulling off on the side of the road or just stopping in the middle of the road to watch (I saw something similar during 4th of July fireworks in Washington DC a few years ago).


The metro area is expecting a lot of traffic due to the visitors, so factor in extra time to get where you are going.


More tips:

If you have 20 minutes (or 10 minutes if you put it on 2x speed), Patricia Reiff from Rice has a great video about eclipse safety.



*You can technically use these to look at the sun anytime, not just during an eclipse. Make sure that you get the right thing (ISO 12312-2). Sunglasses are not good enough! Here’s a new article about how they work.


Countdown:

  • 3 Days to Eclipse

  • Eclipse Start: 12:17 

  • Totality Start: 1:35

  • Totality End: 1:39

  • Eclipse End: 2:58

  • These are estimated times here at school. Check your exact times for your location here.

Current Forecast: Guys, I watched several weather reports this morning and the meteorologists are not optimistic. There will almost certainly be high clouds. That’s not too bad; we should be able to see through those. However, there’s a very good chance of low clouds that would completely block the direct view of the sun. On the plus side, it looks like we’ll get a nice amount of rain next week. Here’s a nice map with predicted visibility based on the weather forecast.

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