Ways to safely view Monday’s solar eclipse

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - On Monday, we have a wonderful opportunity to watch a partial solar eclipse in western Massachusetts. Though we won’t get the big show of totality, we will get to see most of the sun disappear. As you make your plans to watch the eclipse, the first thing to figure out is how to watch it safely.

No matter where you are, looking at the sun requires protection or eye damage can occur. In order to protect your eyes, you need specific glasses or lenses for solar viewing. There are a lot of eclipse glasses to choose from and they are sold through many online sites. Use caution though because there are a lot of fakes out there. Look for this: ISO 12312-2. That code is the current standard for safe solar viewing and your eclipse safety glasses or viewers should have this designation printed on them. There are filters also made for safe solar viewing through telescopes, binoculars, and cameras.

If you don’t have special eclipse glasses or viewers, you can watch indirectly. It also makes a fun science project for the kids. All you need is a cardboard box - cereal boxes work well - a white piece of paper, tape, scissors, aluminum foil, and a pin. With the sun behind you, sunlight will stream through a pinhole punched into aluminum foil taped over a hole in one side of the box. During the partial phases of a solar eclipse, it will project a crescent sun onto a white sheet of paper taped to the inside of the box. Look into the box through another hole cut into the box to see the projected image. You can even decorate the box for some added fun. If you would rather use a projection method to view the eclipse without the fuss, just grab an index card and punch a hole in the middle. Stand with your back to the sun and allow the light to pass through the card. This will project a shadow on the ground, which will eventually look like a crescent.

The only people who get to take off the glasses and look right at the sun are those on the line of totality. If you’re traveling to that line for the eclipse, you will have a few minutes of darker skies as the sun gets completely covered. You can remove your glasses for that brief time and view the big show.