Solar Eclipse Event

Big Solar Eclipse Event: On April 8th, there's going to be a solar eclipse visible all over the U.S. It's a big deal because more people will be able to see this one compared to the last one in 2017.

Safety First: You've got to protect your eyes when watching the eclipse. The only time it's safe to look at it without protection is during the very short "totality" phase, when the moon completely covers the sun. Any other time, you need special glasses.

What to Use: Use proper solar eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers. They must meet a specific safety standard (ISO 12312-2:2015). Regular sunglasses, even really dark ones, aren't safe for this.

Watch Out for Fakes: There are fake solar glasses out there. If you don't have the right gear, you could hurt your eyes, and there's no good way to check if your glasses are safe without a special tool (a photospectrometer).