THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
70 Falmouth Street      Portland, Maine 04103
(207) 780-4249      usm.maine.edu/planet
43.6667° N    70.2667° W
Founded January 1970
2022-2023: XXVIII
Sunrise: 7:07 a.m.
Sunset: 5:43 p.m.
Civil twilight ends: 6:13 p.m.
Sun's host constellation: Virgo the Maiden
Moon phase: Waning Crescent (1% illuminated)
Moonrise: 5:59 a.m.
Moonset: 5:30 p.m.
Julian date: 2459877.21
"Follow your bliss and the Universe will open doors where there were only
walls."
-Joseph Campbell


THE DAILY ASTRONOMER Monday, October 24, 2022
Solar Eclipse 2024 # 6: Safe Viewing


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*532 days until the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse!*
___________________________

______________________________
*Yes, we have  eclipse glasses!*
[image: s-l500.jpg]
Safely observe the eclipse with our eclipse shades.     Watch as the moon
maneuvers slowly across the Sun.     Available at the Southworth
Planetarium!  Cost $2.00
To order your pair(s), send a reply or call 207-780-4249.     Shipping cost
is $1.50 for up to 10.   $3.50 for 10 or more.
_______________________________

Now, let's just begin by sorting out a particularly tricky controversy
pertaining to solar eclipse viewing. Is it safe to directly observe a total
solar eclipse without any eye protection at all? The answer is "Yes," but a
highly important caveat. Yes, one can look directly at the eclipse without
eye protection during *totality*, the phase at which the moon completely
blocks the Sun. However, one MUST use protection to see the eclipse before
or after totality. If you are staring at the total eclipse, be SURE to look
away at least ten seconds before totality ends. Your eye could sustain
permanent damage if you're focused on the eclipse as the Sun emerges from
behind the moon. So,while watching the totality phase of the eclipse, also
keep an eye on the timetable specific to your location.

[image: Eye-of-Sauron.jpeg]
Your eyes are beautiful!     Don't damage them!  Approximately 364,000
years of painfully gradual evolution elapsed between the development of the
first patch of photoreceptor cells to the advent of the highly complex
eye.    You should worship your eyes, but don't lean too close to the
candles.


Assuming that you don't run frantically to your local planetarium to buy
these nifty, stylish, always-in-fashion eclipse shades,  what else could
you use to safely view the Sun?

*WELDER'S GLASS   (#14)*

[image: welding-glass-14-s (1).jpg]
The shading value  is of utmost importance!     Most welder's glasses will
not provide adequate protection.  One must use glass with a shading value of*
14,* which, unfortunately, is a higher grade than most welder's glasses.
    Stephen Franklin, an opthamologist for the Center for Sight said, in
reference to observing the sun with a welder's glass with a lesser grade
than 14,
"It can cause central blind spots that may permanently cause difficulty
with reading or driving."
Settle for nothing less than 14.

*CARDBOARD PROJECTION*

Using the projection method tends to work very well as it removes your eye
from the Sun's line of sight.      One can construct a cardboard box viewer
with just a few materials:   aluminum foil, paper, scissors, a pinhead and,
of course, the cardboard box.

[image: pinhole-projector-homemade.png]
A diagram of a typical cardboard solar eclipse viewer.         Forgive the
highly insulting, "Head goes here," label.

Cut a square out of the side of a cardboard box and cover it with aluminum
foil. Puncture the foil with a small pinhead. (As this hole should be quite
small, foil works best.)  Inside the box, opposite from the foil, tape a
white sheet of paper.     One can carve a hole in the underside of the box
for a "head hole."  Or, more easily, just remove all the cardboard from
this side to render head insertion a bit easier.

Place the foil side of the box toward the Sun and then look at the Sun's
image projected onto the white sheet of paper.   Provided the foil puncture
is neat and small, the projected image will be clear.     Note: a longer
box will enlarge the image, but render it fainter.

As with every other activity, when it comes to total solar eclipse viewing,
just remember safety first!




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