Commentary

Really? Solar eclipse glasses for August 21st?

Aug. 5, 2017

I was REALLY surprised to see an article about these solar eclipse glasses and where to buy them.

On August 21st, 2017, most of North America will be treated to a solar eclipse, with many viewers from Oregon to North Carolina able to see a "total eclipse" when the moon, passing between the sun and the Earth, entirely blocks the sun (see the path below and find more detailed information at https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4518). According to a Time article, the events will begin at "Lincoln Beach, Ore., where a partial eclipse will begin at 9:05 a.m. PST on Aug. 21. The total solar eclipse will begin there at 10:16 a.m. The total eclipse will then move from the West Coast to the East Coast, ending near Columbia, S.C. at 2:44 p.m. EST." See more details for your viewing area at http://time.com/4750899/total-solar-eclipse/.

As an amateur astronomer, I learned to NEVER EVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN, whether wearing special glasses or not. And at that time, I had never heard of "solar eclipse glasses". I used the ultra-safe method of directing my telescope's image of the sun down onto a matte metal plate for safe viewing. Our only other tool was a piece of cardboard with a hole pricked in it, projected down at the sidewalk or onto a viewing surface to see the solar eclipse take shape. Of course, it is safe to look at a total solar eclipse (see below from http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/solar-and-lunar-eclipses-in-2017/), but NEVER look at a partial eclipse without some protective means.

And so I was REALLY surprised to see an article about these solar eclipse glasses and where to buy them. Surprisingly, such viewing glasses do exist and NASA even sanctions them! Nonetheless, I would still be leary of using them, considering that the eye has no pain receptors at the back to tell you when there's a problem. According to the article at http://time.com/4878020/solar-eclipse-glasses-2017/, these special glasses block 99.99% of the sun's rays (unlike standard sunglasses that only block about 60%). Apparently, these glasses or filters meet the ISO 12312-2 standard for safely viewing the sun. With varying price points and a range of styles, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, NASA, and the American Astronomical Society have listed numerous "sanctioned" vendors and manufacturers in the article. I've included a couple here that I'm familiar with from my astronomy days:Celestron; I also found these on Amazon -- see image below; attractive aren't they? Meade Instruments (the glasses are out of stock, so you'll have to buy the 10x50 binoculars; see http://www.meade.com/eclipseview-10x50-binoculars-with-solar-filters.html)

So mark your calendar for August 21st if you happen to live in the United States (other countries will have to wait until at least 2019 for the next solar eclipse; see https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/list.html for a complete schedule over the next 10 years). Personally, I think I'll get out the old telescope and watch the show the old-fashioned way!

About the Author

Gail Overton | Senior Editor (2004-2020)

Gail has more than 30 years of engineering, marketing, product management, and editorial experience in the photonics and optical communications industry. Before joining the staff at Laser Focus World in 2004, she held many product management and product marketing roles in the fiber-optics industry, most notably at Hughes (El Segundo, CA), GTE Labs (Waltham, MA), Corning (Corning, NY), Photon Kinetics (Beaverton, OR), and Newport Corporation (Irvine, CA). During her marketing career, Gail published articles in WDM Solutions and Sensors magazine and traveled internationally to conduct product and sales training. Gail received her BS degree in physics, with an emphasis in optics, from San Diego State University in San Diego, CA in May 1986.