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Smart tips for enjoying the sun’s total eclipse safely
Turn around, bright eyes — a total eclipse of the sun is coming on April 8 (they played that song at my high school prom! 💃). This is your last chance to see a full eclipse from the lower 48 states until 2044.
I flew to Wyoming to see the total eclipse in 2017, and it was amazing. That said, yeah, not traveling to that kind of circus again. Everywhere on the path was packed!
This kind of eclipse has a dark side … and I’m not talking about the moon. Every time, eclipse watchers get lulled into a false sense of security, and every time, they end up hurting their eyes. Don’t be a dummy. Be prepared. I’ve got you covered with the info you need to catch the eclipse safely.
Where can I watch it, Kim?
Get used to this term: The path of totality, aka the path of the eclipse where you can see the moon completely over the sun, is a band 100+ miles wide.
📌 It starts in the good ol’ US of A by brushing San Antonio, Texas, at 1:33 p.m. CDT on April 8, then leaves across Houlton, Maine, at 3:33 p.m. EDT.
Check out the interactive maps at the Great American Eclipse or NASA to make sure you’re in the right place at the right time. Rest assured, you’ll get a pretty good view even if you’re not in the perfect spot.
What to know before you go
If you don’t want to watch the eclipse from your car, get to your viewing spot with plenty of time to spare. I mean it! Some towns and cities are predicted to get more than a million visitors (Austin, Texas, has already declared a state of emergency).
⏲️ The total eclipse lasts around four and a half minutes at its peak in Texas (twice as long as the last state-side solar eclipse in 2017!). You’ll also get around an hour of partial eclipse on either side of that, so be ready.
Prep your solar safety
Watching a solar eclipse without the proper eye gear can seriously and permanently damage your eyes. Tell your neighbors, tell your friends and tell your kids — they’re especially at risk.
👀 OK, but what actually happens to your eyes? A scary thing called solar retinopathy, where intense light burns the sensitive retina in the eye. It can cause “holes” in your vision and there’s no way to reverse it. I told you it’s a big deal.
Take my advice to avoid the pain:
- Buy some eclipse glasses now before they sell out.
- Look for the ISO 12312-2 international standard in the listing. Here’s a two-pack that fits the bill.
- Don’t borrow glasses from anyone unless you know they’re legit.
- Fit your telescope, camera or binocular lenses with solar filters (your eclipse glasses won’t work with them!)
- DIY astronomers might want to try NASA’s pinhole camera, too.
And yeah, I know you can look directly at the sun during the few brief minutes of a total eclipse … but I wouldn’t take the risk.
The bottom line? Be safe, and don’t let this event be overshadowed (get it?) by a trip to the ER.
😂 Line for you to use on April 8: “Hey, anybody know when and where the sun don’t shine?”
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Tags: camera, car, kids, safety, school, security
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