With the solar eclipse [only days] away, there is something very dangerous that your readers need to know and share with others.
Have you ever used a magnifying glass on a sunny day to burn holes in a piece of paper? If so, you understand how incredibly powerful the sun’s rays are.
Binoculars are magnifying glasses, too. If you look at the sun through binoculars for even a second or less, it will do to your eyes what it did to that piece of paper. You are likely to be permanently blinded in both eyes.
There are other hazards. Ordinary sunglasses offer no more protection for your eyes than you would have without wearing them, and photographing the eclipse with your iPhone, camera, etc., is equally dangerous.
The safest ways to observe the eclipse are by using solar sunglasses or making a pinhole projector. Solar sunglasses cost about $2.50 a pair, and you can make a pinhole projector with two pieces of paper in five seconds or less. For more information, Google “solar sunglasses” or “pinhole projector.”
Dr. Bill Warren
Flint River Astronomy Club
Griffin, Ga.
