This is the screen where your projected Sun will appear. Put a piece of white paper at the end of the box, right inside the viewing hole. At the other end of the tube, cut a good-sized viewing hole in the side of the box. Tape a piece of foil over the hole, then poke a small hole in the foil with a pin.ģ. Cut a one-inch hole in the center of one end of the box. (Two triangular shipping tubes, taped together, make a good solar viewer.) Cut out the cardboard at one end of each tube and tape those ends together with duct tape, so that light can travel the length of the tube.Ģ. If you can't find a long tube, you can tape together two or more shorter ones. For example, if your box is six feet (72 inches) long, your solar image will be 72 x 0.01 = 0.72 inches in diameter, or about ¾ inch.ġ. To estimate how big the image will be, multiply the length of the box by 0.01. The length of the box is important: the longer the box, the bigger your image of the sun will be. The simplest requires only a long box (at least six feet long), a piece of aluminum foil, a pin, and a sheet of white paper. The above video, “How to Build a Sun Viewer,” shows you a safe way to watch eclipses or other solar events by projecting the Sun’s image. The instant the moon begins to move off the Sun's face, you must go back to using safe viewing techniques. Called totality, it lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes. This is the ONLY time: when the moon completely blocks the face of the Sun. If not, go back and re-ead the warning above.ĭuring a total solar eclipse, there are a few short moments when it’s safe to look directly at the Sun. If you are now completely terrified about looking at the Sun, good!-you may keep reading. In additional, there are no pain sensors inside your eye-so you won't even know it's happening! This literally burns your eye, causing permanent eye damage or blindness. If you look at the Sun, your eye’s lens will concentrate the Sun's light and focus it onto a very small spot on the back of your eye, on the retina. So understand this: you have a lens just like that in your eye. If so, you’ll remember that when sunlight is focused onto a small spot with a lens, it gets hot enough to start a fire.
This is critical! Why? You may have taken a magnifying glass out into the sun and burned leaves with it. Never view the Sun with the naked eye or by looking through optical devices such as binoculars or telescopes! If you ever want to view a solar eclipse-whether it’s total, annular, or partial-the first thing you must know is this: This is probably the most important part of this website. Be sure to prepare for viewing solar eclipses live: use these tips and techniques to get a clear view without injuring your eyes.