How to safely view Monday’s total solar eclipse
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — If you’re planning on viewing the total solar eclipse on Monday, eye protection is a must.
The American Astronomical Society says the only way to look at an uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through an eclipse viewer or eclipse glasses.
When looking for a viewer or glasses, ASA says to look for glasses that are ISO 12312-2 Standard, which should be visibly labeled on the glasses or viewer.
You can also view it through a telescope but you will need an approved solar filter that fits over the front of your optics. Not putting a filter on the telescope could cause permanent blindness, according to Astronomy.com.
If you don’t have access to either, there are other ways to view the eclipse, but you’ll have to get a little creative.
You can make your own eclipse viewer with a shoebox, tape, foil, a pencil and scissors. KNWA/FOX24 Chief Meteorologist Dan Skoff has a step-by-step video of how to make one below.
What Arkansans will experience during the total solar eclipse
If you’re outside the path and will only see a partial eclipse the ASA says there’s another way to view it:
“Cross the outstretched, slightly open fingers of one hand over the outstretched, slightly open fingers of the other, creating a waffle pattern. With your back to the Sun, look at your hands’ shadow on the ground. The little spaces between your fingers will project a grid of small images on the ground, showing the Sun as a crescent during the partial phases of any solar eclipse.”
Other ways to see the partial eclipse include:
the shadow of a leafy tree during a partial eclipse; you’ll see the ground dappled with crescent-shaped Suns projected by the tiny spaces between the leaves.
A colander
A straw hat
A perforated spoon
Anything with lots of small holes in it
For more information on what to know ahead of Monday’s eclipse, visit the Eclipse 2024 tab.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24.
