7 solar eclipse treats that are easy to make. (2024)

FAQs

How to make solar eclipse glasses at home? ›

Create a pinhole projector to see the solar eclipse

The projector makes it safe to observe the solar eclipse if you don't have eclipse glasses. All you need to do is take a piece of cardboard, cut an inch square in the middle, tape foil over the square and poke a small hole in the foil.

Injury can occur after just a few seconds of looking at sun without eye protection, Kumar said. "You cannot look at the sun directly without a filter" even during a partial eclipse, when its light is mostly covered by the moon, but there's still a rim of sunlight around it, he said.

During the eclipse, you will see a projection of the moon obscuring the surface of the sun. This method works with anything with holes, such as a straw hat, a strainer, a cheese grater or even a perforated spoon.

all you need is a toilet paper roll, white cardstock, a square of tin foil and a pin to poke it with! (tape and scissors help, too!) assemble your projector and stand with your back to the sun, so its rays travel through your pinhole and project the sun's image onto your white paper!

However, there's one myth we — and the experts at NASA — would like to clear up: It is totally safe to eat food during an eclipse. As NASA noted on its 2017 eclipse website, the myth that eclipses will poison "any food that is prepared during the event" is prolific enough to require debunking.

The only safe way to look directly at the sun during an eclipse is through special-purpose solar filters, like eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers.

But the U.S. Space agency itself does not approve any particular brand of solar viewers, despite what many vendors may claim. And though the agency has distributed eclipse glasses with its logo at its events for free, those items have never been for sale, the agency told USA TODAY.

"If someone briefly looks at the eclipse, if it's extremely brief, in some cases there won't be damage. But damage can happen even within a fraction of a second in some cases," Brinton said. He said he's had patients who have suffered from solar retinopathy, the official name for the condition.

Do solar eclipse glasses expire? ›

If you've thought about saving your solar eclipse glasses until the next eclipse, it's not a bad idea. The American Astronomical Society (AAS) says modern eclipse glasses do not expire.

But doctors say looking at a solar eclipse for even a few seconds unprotected isn't worth the risk. There are reports of solar retinopathy after every solar eclipse, and U.S. eye doctors saw dozens of extra visits after the one in 2017.

Even looking at the sun for a few seconds without wearing solar eclipse glasses can cause solar retinopathy. It's also called “eclipse blindness,” which means the retina cells have become damaged or destroyed. It can be temporary, but it can also cause permanent vision issues.

Use a mirror

The way you do so is by using the mirror to reflect the image of the eclipse onto a wall or another flat surface, ideally a white one — not by looking at the eclipse in the mirror, as this can damage your eyes.

"The filters that are made for looking at the sun are typically 100,000 times darker." Sunglasses tend to be made of glass, plastic or some kind of polycarbonate material, while solar filters are made of one of two materials: polyester film coated in aluminum, or something called 'black polymer', Fienberg explained.

Make sure the foil is flat and not crinkled. Poke a pinhole in the center of the foil. During the eclipse, stand with the sun behind you, and look into the right hole at the top of the box and watch a projection of the eclipsed sun on the paper inside.