With the excitement of the solar eclipse happening on Monday, August 21st, we thought it would be a good time to review safety measures and best practices to ensure a pleasant viewing experience without any unwanted, lasting medical or technological effects.
Watch Dez's Solar Eclipse Safety video on our flagship brand, DentalPC, YouTube Channel.
You can find a variety of solar eclipse safety glasses online, but buyer beware! Many companies are selling solar eclipse safety glasses with the ISO and CE certified labeling, but reports of fake glasses have been made. NASA shares a list of reputable vendors of solar filters and viewers.
Popular Science recommends that you do not wear glasses who's manufacturer are not on that list. If you want to check your approved glasses for scratches or defects, they they recommend trying them on at night, If you can see ANYTHING - don't wear them. If you can't see anything, then turn on your phone flashlight and hold it in front of your face (with the glasses) and you should just barely see a pinhole of dim light.
NASA Safety Guidelines for Viewing the 2017 Solar Eclipse:
- Always inspect your solar filter before use; if scratched or damaged, discard it. Read and follow any instructions printed on or packaged with the filter.
- Always supervise children using solar filters.
- Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright sun. After looking at the sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the sun.
- Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device.
- Similarly, do not look at the sun through a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury.
- Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device. Note that solar filters must be attached to the front of any telescope, binoculars, camera lens, or other optics.
- If you are within the path of totality, remove your solar filter only when the moon completely covers the sun’s bright face and it suddenly gets quite dark. Experience totality, then, as soon as the bright sun begins to reappear, replace your solar viewer to look at the remaining partial phases.
- Outside the path of totality, you must always use a safe solar filter to view the sun directly.
- If you normally wear eyeglasses, keep them on. Put your eclipse glasses on over them, or hold your handheld viewer in front of them.
People do experience damage to their eyesight and their equipment when they don't follow these guidelines, so please make sure you have eye protection on Monday.
DPC Technology wishes you all a Happy Eclipse Viewing!