This weekend, I like many of you, received a few panicked texts from certain Jewish mothers in my life about today’s impending solar eclipse. It’s exciting, yes, but also kind of terrifying because… the possibility of permanent eye damage. Oy.
All the worry boils down to the following warnings—which we thought we’d pass on to you, dear Kveller readers. Be careful out there!
If you don’t have the right glasses, don’t look up. Don’t be like this guy, Lou, age, 70, who has been doing a media circuit this weekend to tell people about the permanent vision damage he got from looking at an eclipse in his youth.
If your kids don’t understand what’s happening, or are too young to keep eclipse glasses on themselves, keep them inside during eclipse hours (1pm to 4pm or so, EST). My babysitter is just keeping my young son occupied with crayons this afternoon.
Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device.
Similarly, do not look at the sun through a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury.
Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device. Note that solar filters must be attached to the front of any telescope, binoculars, camera lens, or other optics.
Outside the path of totality, you must always use a safe solar filter to view the sun directly.
