As the total solar eclipse, occurring across Mexico, the United States and Canada on April 8, draws near, experts are reminding spectators to grab a pair of eclipse glasses to view the celestial event safely — and to make sure they aren’t fake.
Counterfeit eclipse glasses are “polluting the marketplace,” according to a release shared by the American Astronomical Society, or AAS.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun’s face from view for a few moments. About 32 million people in the US live within the 115-mile-wide (185-kilometer-wide) path of totality, or locations where the moon will appear to completely cover the sun and the lunar shadow falls on the Earth’s surface. People outside the path of totality will still be able to see a partial solar eclipse in which the moon only blocks part of the sun’s face.
What an awful thing to do to people.
It’s the perfect crime. The victims will never be able to identify you!
The next total solar eclipse that is visible from the US is in 20 years.
Edit: I’m aware of April 8, but if you aren’t prepped for that one by now, good luck.
There’s one coming up on April 08, 2024
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/where-when/
I’m aware, and most, if they haven’t prepared, will have to wait.
A ton of people live in the path of totality. Like double the 2017 eclipse. 30 million or something? Plus it’s within a few hours of massive population centers. So there’s plenty of people who should be aware of this issue.
And those who are only just now learning and trying to get glasses are probably going to find a shortage.
I bought my glasses 11 months ago when I made my plane and hotel reservations. Last minute people are gonna get fucked by these asshole scam artists.
But the main point of my original post is that if you miss this one, we have 2 whole ass decades before the next, so be aware.
Pro tip: Use a polarized glass above shade 10 (or maybe 12) from a
solderingwelding mask. not expensive and more durable.Edit: Corrected my comment according to the experts. Thanks for the corrections, although, with one was enough lol. Edit2: Whatever you use for protection, test it beforehand as the article explains c:
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Welding mask, soldering doesn’t usually require any special eye protection
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As others have said, only the darkest shades of welding glass provide adequate protection, and the ones that do are fairly uncommon, most hardware stores and even many welding supply places won’t won’t have dark enough masks or glasses on-hand normally. They may be able to order them, but don’t expect to pick them up off the shelf at your local store.
- Welding and soldering are the same word in my language (soldar) my bad.
- Honestly I wasnt aware there are shades of welding mask glass, here I just ask for a replacement mask glass at the hardware store and give me the right one (based on the fact that Im not blind) still, my bad.
Guess thats why you shouldnt listen to internet randos :v
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Heres how you can tell
“There’s no way to tell just by looking at them whether eclipse glasses are genuinely safe,” Fienberg said, “but it’s easy to tell if they are not safe.”
Try on the glasses indoors first. Nothing should be visible through the lenses, and even the brightest lights should only appear very faintly. If furnishings or wall decor are visible through the lenses, these glasses aren’t safe to view the sun.
But if the glasses pass the indoor test, the AAS recommends putting them on outside during a sunny day and looking around. Again, nothing should be visible through the lenses, unless the sun is reflecting off an exceptionally shiny surface, and even then the light will appear faint if the glasses are safe.
If the glasses pass that second test, try looking at the sun through them for less than a second. If the glasses are safe, the sun will appear comfortably bright and likely white, yellow, orange or bluish white.
I would still be worried that if you don’t but from a reputable source, the glasses may only block visible light and seem fine when they may not be blocking dangerous UV light.
