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!
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Yes, we have eclipse glasses!
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.
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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.
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)
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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.
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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