How to view an eclipse safely and what to look for in eclipse glasses
Follow these tips to have a safe viewing experience during the upcoming North American total solar eclipse
By Jamie Carter
5 March 2024
Use special eclipse glasses to prevent eye damage
Gino Santa Maria/Shutterstock
Viewing a total solar eclipse is an experience that can stay with you for life, but, without the proper precautions, that could be for all the wrong reasons. Looking directly towards the sun is dangerous, so read on for how to view an eclipse safely and what you need to organise in advance.
On 8 April 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible to over 42 million people across North America. The path of totality is only about 185 kilometres wide, touching parts of Mexico, 13 US states and Canada. Most people in North America will experience this event not as a total solar eclipse but as a partial.
“For those outside the path of totality, the moon will never fully cover the sun,” says Jeff Todd at Prevent Blindness, an eyecare advocacy group based in Chicago. Regardless of your vantage point, eye protection is essential.
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“To avoid damaging your eyes, you need to wear eclipse glasses for the entire duration of the eclipse,” says Todd. Otherwise, you risk burning your retinas. Nicknamed “eclipse blindness”, this can happen without you feeling any pain and it can be permanent. It can take days after viewing the solar eclipse to realise anything is wrong. Sunglasses don’t provide adequate protection. However, it is perfectly safe to hold eclipse glasses over prescription glasses.
How to view the eclipse safely
For those who travel into the path of totality, the prize is a naked-eye view of the sun’s corona. However, it is only visible during the brief few minutes of totality. At all other times, the partial phases will be visible, which must be observed through eclipse glasses. Todd says that those inside the path of totality also need to wear eclipse glasses at all times except during totality, the short period when the sun is totally eclipsed by the moon and it gets dark. “Only then can you remove your eclipse glasses,” he said.
It is important that people inside the path of totality use their naked eyes to view the totally eclipsed sun. “You have to look without a protective filter, otherwise you will see nothing,” says Ralph Chou at the University of Waterloo, Canada.