By now you’ve probably heard that we’ve got this kinda cool thing happening today. It’s called a solar eclipse, in which the moon will completely block out the sun. Now, the area of “totality” (meaning that the moon will block out 100% of the sun’s surface, is only about a 70-mile wide band. However, even outside that 70-mile range, you can still see a partial solar eclipse from anywhere in the US. The sun will still have a sliver remaining. Near Atlanta, we can expect about 97% totality.
It’s not every day that a total eclipse happens right above our heads. It’s going to be something to see! But there are some safety precautions to keep in mind before you head out to watch the eclipse. You might have heard some fuss about special eclipse viewing glasses that will protect your eyes. It’s never a good idea to look directly at the sun with unprotected eyes, so to look up and see the progress of the moon against the sky you need to make sure to protect your eyeballs. You can cause serious eye damage if you don’t.
One way to protect your eyes is with the special solar eclipse glasses we mentioned (regular sunglasses do NOT provide enough protection.) But if you didn’t have a chance to get some glasses (they went like hotcakes) or if you’re worried that the pair you did get isn’t legit, we’ve got another way for you to watch the eclipse safely. And that’s with a pinhole viewing. You can make your very own eclipse viewer out of a cereal box, some white printer paper, and some aluminum foil.