The dinosaurs at Indy's Children's Museum have solar glasses. Do you? How to get them

Hoosiers driving past the Children's Museum of Indianapolis might notice its resident dinos are sporting a cool new look — solar eclipse glasses. A rare total solar eclipse Monday is set to chart a 115-mile-wide path of totality, passing over portions of Mexico, the United States and Canada.

To safely watch the solar eclipse as it happens, you'll need special solar glasses. Staring at the sun, even momentarily, can permanently damage your vision. (I mean, the dinosaurs didn't have solar eclipse glasses 65 million years ago, and look what happened to them.)

Here's what you need to know about how to get solar glasses around the Indianapolis area by Monday.

Do solar eclipse glasses work?

Yes; it's never safe to look directly at the sun without specialized eye protection made for solar viewing. To protect your vision, use safe solar viewers, which are thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses and comply with international safety standards.

The eclipse is one week away. What to know on solar glasses, time, Indiana path of totality

How can you tell if solar eclipse glasses are real?

When buying solar glasses, look for this designation: ISO 12312-2. That means the glasses have met the international standard for safely observing the eclipse. And if the lenses of your solar glasses are scratched damaged? Throw them away.

Where can I get free solar eclipse glasses near me?

All Warby Parker retail locations will offer free ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses starting Monday, April 1.  Glasses will be available through Monday, April 8, the day of the eclipse while supplies last. There are two Warby Parker locations in the Indianapolis area.

• The Fashion Mall at Keystone, Warby Parker, 8702 Keystone Crossing, Space 146C. Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon-Sat and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

• Clay Terrace, Warby Parker, 14405 Clay Terrace Blvd., Carmel, Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon-Sat and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Where can I buy solar eclipse glasses?

Indiana State Parks: Solar eclipse glasses can be purchased in person at the Indiana State Parks website: stores.innsgifts.com while supplies last.

Retail stores: Big box stores like Walmart, Lowes, Kroger, Meijer and Eyeglass World are selling solar eclipse glasses. Check each store when you go to see if they're available and ask a friendly associate to point you to the display.

Sonic Drive-In: Sonic Drive-In launched a limited-edition drink, the "Blackout Slush Float" at participating Sonic locations nationwide until May 5. The company will hand out free solar eclipse viewing glasses with every purchase of the new treat while supplies last. Here's where you can find Sonic locations around Indianapolis:

• 66 South Raceway in Avon

• 1262 North Emerson Ave. in Greenwood

• 8060 Upland Bend in Camby

• 418 Dan Jones Road in Plainfield

• 118 East Spring Mill Pointe Drive in Westfield

Online: For other trusted online vendors of solar viewers, visit the websites of these manufacturers:

• Flip'n Shades (clip-ons for baseball caps)

• Rainbow Symphony

• American Paper Optics / eclipseglasses.com

• DayStar Filters

• Seymour Solar (sheets only)

• Thousand Oaks Optical

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John Tufts covers trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Follow him on X at @JTuftsReports.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: These dinosaurs have it right: Wear solar glasses for the 2024 eclipse