Lowes, Walmart, Staples selling eclipse glasses ahead of Monday's solar eclipse

Gianna Montesano, Treasure Coast Newspapers
Updated ·4 min read

When you look up at the sky Monday, your cool, go-to sunglasses won't be enough to protect your eyes from the solar eclipse.

Solar-viewing glasses, also called eclipse glasses, or handheld solar viewers are the safest ways to look up at the sky when the moon covers the sun next week, according to NASA.

“Solar filters are at least 1,000 times darker than even the darkest regular sunglasses," Rick Fienberg, project manager of the American Astronomical Society Solar Eclipse Task Force, said in a news release.

Viewing any part of the sun directly, or even through a camera lens (including your phone), binoculars or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter will instantly cause severe eye injury, according to NASA.

Here's where to buy eclipse glasses to keep your eyes safe Monday when the Treasure Coast gets a partial view of the celestial event.

How to know if eclipse glasses are safe to use? What happens to your eyes if you don't wear eclipse glasses?

Not all solar eclipse glasses are created equal.

If you buy or are given eclipse glasses, be sure they are made by a company the American Astronomical Society and NASA have certified as safe. Any eclipse glasses should have the International Organization for Standardization icon and the International Organization for Standardization reference number 12312-2.

The sun emits so much light it can seriously damage your eyes. Since we normally have an aversion to staring directly at the sun, that's normally not a problem.

Staring at an eclipse with unaided eyes may lead to solar retinopathy, sometimes called eclipse retinopathy, which is damage caused to the central retina in the eye.

More: Want to keep your eyes safe during the 2024 solar eclipse? Here's what you need to know

Indian River State College Hallstrom Planeterium

The IRSC Hallstrom Planetarium will offer a safe, guided viewing of the eclipse beginning at 1:30 p.m. Monday, and will sell eclipse glasses the day of the event.

Lowes

Home-improvement store Lowes sells paper solar eclipse glasses in stores and online for as little as $2.48, according to its website. It also has a handful of eye and phone protection products to choose from.

Lowes has four locations across the Treasure Coast: in Jensen Beach, Port St. Lucie, Stuart and Vero Beach.

Staples

If you're looking for solar eclipse glasses in bulk, Staples offers 50 glasses for $99.99 for online ordering and pick up at one of four locations on the Treasure Coast.

Walmart

Retail giant Walmart is selling solar eclipse glasses throughout its stores and online. Its selection ranges from phone and camera filters to eyewear to telescopes. Prices range from a few dollars to a couple hundred dollars.

East Florida Eye Institute

East Florida Eye Institute will offer 300 solar eclipse glasses for free beginning Thursday until Monday. You can pick them up at the Stuart location at 509 SE Riverside Drive #302.

How to make a pinhole projector

If you're unable to get your hands some approved solar eclipse glasses, there's no need to fret. Get crafty and make your own pinhole projector for a safe viewing of the eclipse:

Supplies you’ll need:

  • Two pieces of stiff white cardboard (two paper plates will work) or two sheets of plain white paper

  • A thumbtack, a sharp pin or a needle

Puncture a hole in one piece of cardboard or paper and hold it above your shoulder with your back to the sun. Have another person hold the second piece of cardboard or paper at a distance, and you'll see the shape of the sun projected onto the second piece of cardboard.

Eclipse experiments: How to turn the 2024 solar eclipse into a fun science lesson

To see a more detailed explanation and visual of how to make a quick and easy pinhole projector for the eclipse, visit timeanddate.com.

What views will there be on the Treasure Coast?

The eclipse begins on the Treasure Coast around 1:48 p.m. Monday and ends at around 4:16 p.m., according to Time and Date AS. It will last for about 2 hours and 28 minutes.

Here's when it will be at maximum visibility across the Treasure Coast:

  • 3:03 p.m.: Fellsmere, Fort Pierce, Hobe Sound, Jensen Beach, Jupiter Island, Port St. Lucie, Stuart

  • 3:04 p.m.: Gifford, Orchid Island, Vero Beach

Lianna Norman contributed to this article.

Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429, or follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @gonthescene.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Retailers, local college selling solar eclipse glasses