{"id":5,"date":"2012-05-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-05-19T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/evelynteykaerts\/solar-eclipse-how-to-watch-it-without-blinding-yourself\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T04:42:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T04:42:42","slug":"solar-eclipse-how-to-watch-it-without-blinding-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/evelynteykaerts\/solar-eclipse-how-to-watch-it-without-blinding-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar eclipse: How to watch it without blinding yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0How to watch it without blinding yourself<\/h2>\n
By Rene LynchMay 19, 2012,\u00a08:00 a.m.<\/div>\n
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A 2010 solar eclipse as observed through protective glasses.\u00a0(European Pressphoto Agency \/ Ian Salas\/\u00a0May\u00a015, 20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Solar eclipse excitement is building, but one astronomer is trying to warn the masses: Don\u2019t look up into the sky with the naked eye during Sunday\u2019s solar eclipse.<\/strong> To do so is to risk serious eye injury and even\u00a0blindness, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cLooking up into the [solar eclipse] without the proper protection is just dangerous,\u201d said astronomer Stephen Edberg at\u00a0NASA\u2018s\u00a0 Jet Propulsion Laboratory. \u201cYou need proper eye protection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beginning late Sunday afternoon, a\u00a0large swath\u00a0of the western United States will be positioned to see the solar eclipse and the so-called \u201cring of fire\u201d created as the moon passes in front of the sun but doesn\u2019t quite obscure it. The result will be a dramatic image as the sun\u2019s rays shoot from behind. (This assumes that clouds don\u2019t get in the way.)<\/p>\n

In Los Angeles<\/span>, the eclipse will begin about 5:25 and then hit its peak at 6:38 p.m<\/span>. It will all be over for the West Coast by 7:43 p.m., Edberg said. The late time of day may mislead some folks into believing that it\u2019s safe to look directly at the eclipse. \u201cThat\u2019s not the case,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

So, what\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0proper eye protection? It\u2019s not sunglasses. \u201cIt\u2019s not stacking sunglasses\u201d one on top of the other either, said Edberg. Peering through a curtain, or through a car window that has been treated with a sun-filtering screen also won\u2019t protect the eyes, he said.<\/p>\n

Edberg said safe options include glasses specifically made for looking at the sun \u2013\u00a0these cost 85 cents apiece. Contact a camera store or a hobby store to purchase one in time for Sunday\u2019s celestial show.<\/p>\n

He also suggested finding a hardware store that sells welding equipment. The No. 14 welders glass \u2014 the darkest glass available \u2014 would be perfect for holding up to the sun for safe viewing, he said<\/p>\n

Another option is to find an astronomy club, museum or observatory that is holding an event to usher in the solar eclipse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sun can be viewed directly only when using filters specifically designed for this purpose,\u201d according to\u00a0NASA. \u201cSuch filters usually have a thin layer of aluminum, chromium or silver deposited on their surfaces that attenuates ultraviolet, visible, and infrared energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also note that sun damage may not be immediately painful, so it\u2019s not safe just because you can look up into the sun without feeling searing pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamage to the eyes comes predominantly from invisible infrared wavelengths,\u201d NASA cautions. \u201cThe fact that the sun appears dark in a filter or that you feel no discomfort does not guarantee that your eyes are safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source:<\/strong> <\/p>\n

This is one of the rare eclipses in our Hemisphere where the so-called Ring of Fire appears. \u00a0 It can be viewed best in Northern California around Redding from 5:30-6:38 approximately. \u00a0It seems the moon is smaller than the sun (joke) and doesn\u2019t completely block out\u00a0the\u00a0brilliance of the sun. \u00a0Thus the rays of flame appear around the darkened outline of the moon. \u00a0BUT we are cautioned in the strongest terms not to look directly at the sun\u2026.at all. \u00a0According to this\u00a0report\u00a0one can buy \u00a0inexpensive glasses made just for solar viewing\u2014run to the mall this afternoon and get one if you feel compelled to gaze at the disappearing sun.<\/p>\n

I think our primitive forebears must have feared the end of the world when they saw the sun being hidden by the lesser moon\u2026\u2026no doubt that start of many myths. \u00a0Now that we know what it is, are we any less amazed at the spectacle<\/strong> of the mighty and wonderful consistency of our Universe. \u00a0The sun and stars and moons move in their orbits and swing through the skies, determining the days and night, tides, winds, seasons, all the known patterns of our\u00a0existence. \u00a0And before it, and through it and behind it all, the All-Powerful Creator God, \u00a0who gave us all we need for life and fulfillment.<\/p>\n

Families and people to love, work to do, blessings to pass on,\u00a0strength\u00a0to help those in need\u2014how much good can be\u00a0accomplished\u00a0<\/strong> army of \u00a0trained marketers sharing knowledge and passing on the Empower Network<\/a><\/strong> \u00a0to others looking to\u00a0provide\u00a0for their\u00a0families\u00a0and loved ones.<\/p>\n

We are free to reach out take it\u2014-the training and mentoring<\/span> are right here in Empower Network.<\/strong> \u00a0You can get your own blogging<\/a> platform today and begin writing of things and ideas that excite you. \u00a0Share your thoughts, post items of interest<\/span>, all while getting trained by some of the best marketing geniuses today!<\/p>\n

Click on the picture<\/span> (top right) of the skinny guy with the weird hair to get in\u2014\u2014-><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0How to watch it without blinding yourself By Rene LynchMay 19, 2012,\u00a08:00 a.m. A 2010 solar eclipse as observed through protective glasses.\u00a0(European Pressphoto Agency \/ Ian Salas\/\u00a0May\u00a015, 20 Solar eclipse excitement is building, but one astronomer is trying to warn the masses: Don\u2019t look up into the sky with the naked eye during Sunday\u2019s solar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1724,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/evelynteykaerts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/evelynteykaerts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/evelynteykaerts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/evelynteykaerts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1724"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/evelynteykaerts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/evelynteykaerts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/evelynteykaerts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions\/47"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/evelynteykaerts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/evelynteykaerts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/evelynteykaerts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}