Get free eclipse glasses, make pinhole eclipse viewers
MONROE COUNTY — To prepare for the April 8 total solar eclipse, Monroe County residents can get free safe solar viewing glasses and make free pinhole shadow box eclipse viewers. The Monroe County Convention & Tourism Bureau also has created an eclipse page.
Free glasses are available at branches of the Monroe County Library System (starting March 25), the Old Mill Museum in Dundee and at Monroe's Sterling State Park, River Raisin National Battlefield Park and the Monroe County Museum System.
This month, the Monroe County Museum System, 126 S. Monroe St., will host pinhole shadow box-making sessions.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays in March, attendees can make the device and learn how to use it to safely to observe the eclipse. The shadow box activity also will be offered 11 a.m.-3 p.m. March 25-28.
"Simple pinhole cameras are a basic type of camera obscura, which is Latin for 'dark chamber,'" the museum said in a news release. "They are considered an early form of the modern camera and were used as astronomical tools, drawing aids and even for entertainment purposes."
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The museum also has a limited supply of eclipse educational resources for teachers and group leaders.
"MCMS reminds everyone to exercise safety when viewing the eclipse, as the intense ultraviolet and infrared rays require specialized eye protection for safe viewing," the museum said.
For more information, visit science.nasa.gov/eclipses/safety. The Monroe County Convention & Tourism's eclipse page is on its website, visitmonroemi.us.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Get free eclipse glasses, make pinhole viewers
