# How can I directly view the solar eclipse safely and cheaply? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289 "2015-03-18T13:52:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/1 "2015-03-18T13:52:40Z")
OK, so for those of us lucky enough to be in Northern Europe Friday morning, but unlucky enough to have not gotten proper solar eclipse glasses before they’ve all been sold out at regular prices (and inflated to ridiculous prices)… And I’m not interested in pinhole cameras and neat ways to create shadows of the event. I wanna look at it directly! Yet from a quick search this doesn’t seem to be trivial. Why not? One would think it would be as simple as getting some kind of plastic film or foil that would filter out the harmful radiation which you could just wrap around normal glasses for a few cents. But I haven’t seen any mention of such a thing; only safety glasses specifically manufactured for eclipse viewing. Is it really so difficult to find piece of raw material at a local hardware store (would a welder’s mask work?) that you could use as a filter? ---
**Author:** ![buddy431](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@buddy431](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddy431)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/2 "2015-03-18T14:05:00Z")
You can buy stuff like [this](http://www.amazon.com/Solar-Filter-Telescopes-Binoculars-Cameras/dp/B00DS7IFQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426687372&sr=8-1&keywords=solar+filter) online. It is just a plastic. It’s not super cheap, but is pretty reasonable. I bought a sheet for the transit of Venus, and I think it got shipped from Israel, so you do need to plan in advance a little bit. As for why it’s not super cheap: You have to engineer a material that will reflect or absorb 99.999% of light, evenly across the visible spectrum, and not distort the light that is allowed through. That’s not trivial. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/3 "2015-03-18T14:18:49Z")
> [@buddy431](#): > > You can buy stuff like [this](http://www.amazon.com/Solar-Filter-Telescopes-Binoculars-Cameras/dp/B00DS7IFQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426687372&sr=8-1&keywords=solar+filter) online. It is just a plastic. It’s not super cheap, but is pretty reasonable. I doubt it will be so cheap once you factor in the next-day delivery charges. Remember that the eclipse starts in about 40 hours. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/4 "2015-03-18T14:41:29Z")
I had really good luck using binoculars to project the eclipse onto a dark board. > **[VideoFromSpace](https://www.youtube.com/user/VideoFromSpace)** > > Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. We transport our visitors across the solar system and beyond through... I did not mount the binoculars I just held the binoculars by hand onto a board I leaned up against a chair. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/5 "2015-03-18T14:57:18Z")
Watch it on TV, or online? Somebody’s got to be streaming it… ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/6 "2015-03-18T15:55:58Z")
> [@Moe](#): > > (would a welder’s mask work?) that you could use as a filter? I’ve used a welders helmet. An ARC welders helmet. They do make shields for Oxy/Acet, but that wouldn’t be dark enough. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/7 "2015-03-18T16:39:13Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > I doubt it will be so cheap once you factor in the next-day delivery charges. Remember that the eclipse starts in about 40 hours. Yeah, I’d say anything that involves mail delivery is out at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/8 "2015-03-18T16:44:16Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Watch it on TV, or online? Somebody’s got to be streaming it… I’m actually traveling about an hour to do a breakfast picnic by the lake (and it is no easy feat for me to wake up at around 7:30am), so watching it on a computer screen hardly seems consistent with the gravitas of the event. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/9 "2015-03-18T16:49:08Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I’ve used a welders helmet. An ARC welders helmet. They do make shields for Oxy/Acet, but that wouldn’t be dark enough. I don’t know what any of this means. Would what I need be cheap and easily obtainable at a hardware store? ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/10 "2015-03-18T17:04:49Z")
Directly, safely, cheaply… you can do any two out of three. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/11 "2015-03-18T17:10:09Z")
Arc welder’s helmets are standard stuff at better tool stores or hardware stores. Look up “welding supply” in your local phone directory. In the US a cheap helmet might be $20, and a better one about $75. No clue what they cost wherever in “Northern Europe” you are. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/12 "2015-03-18T17:11:34Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I’ve used a welders helmet. An ARC welders helmet. They do make shields for Oxy/Acet, but that wouldn’t be dark enough. > [@Moe](#): > > I don’t know what any of this means. Would what I need be cheap and easily obtainable at a hardware store? ARC is electric welding. Oxy/Acet is flame welding. eye protection for either is not cheap. both are at local tool supply stores. ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/13 "2015-03-18T17:36:16Z")
See [here](http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/safety2.html) for a long story on safely observing an eclipse. If you want cheap and easy, your best bet is to find a piece of completely black film negative, which you’ll typically find at the beginning of a strip of negatives. But it has to be “real” black-and-white film, NOT chromogenic film that is processed using the same C41 process as color film. (C41 films use dyes that may not absorb all frequencies, including invisible but still harmful infrared and ultraviolet. Black-and-white film has silver particles.) And with anything not super rock solid, ONLY use it to look at the eclipse with the (otherwise) naked eye for short periods and not through binoculars or a camera, which have large lenses that will gather much more light than your eyes do. I plan on photographing the eclipse through two polarizing filters at (close to) 90 degrees, if the weather clears up, but I’m certainly not going to look through the optical viewfinder that way. ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/14 "2015-03-18T17:44:04Z")
FYI: those who can receive BBC2 may want to watch tonight at 8, there’s a program about the eclipse and they have Buzz Aldrin. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/15 "2015-03-18T17:49:00Z")
Try going to a museum (science, not art) and asking for “[Eclipse Glasses](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31VCKZU6edL.jpg)”. I picked up some when the Transit of Venus happened a few years back. They were so cheap I grabbed 3 or 4 pairs. I think they were like $2 (USD). ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/16 "2015-03-18T18:23:31Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Try going to a museum (science, not art) and asking for “[Eclipse Glasses](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31VCKZU6edL.jpg)”. I picked up some when the Transit of Venus happened a few years back. They were so cheap I grabbed 3 or 4 pairs. I think they were like $2 (USD). Any place like that in Berlin is apparently long sold out and the price is quite marked up on the secondary market. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/17 "2015-03-18T18:45:30Z")
> [@Moe](#): > > I don’t know what any of this means. Would what I need be cheap and easily obtainable at a hardware store? Welding masks/helmets/glasses are typically quantified by “shade number,” which characterizes the proportion of radiation they absorb; the higher the number, the less light reaches your eyes. Most eclipse-viewing resources recommend using shade #14, which is pretty high. For comparison, when TIG-welding (which emits a lot of light) the recommended shade is around 9 or 10; oxyacetylene torch welding/cutting doesn’t produce nearly as much intense light, so generally a lower shade number is used for that. FWIW there was a partial solar eclipse a couple of years ago that occured shortly before sunset, with the atmosphere providing enough attenuation so that viewing through my auto-dark helmet set to shade 12 (as high as it would go) worked fine. A really well-equipped hardware store _might_ have welding helmets/glasses in the shade you need. You may not even need to buy an entire helmet; they’ll probably have the tinted inserts available separately. If a hardware store doesn’t have it, check Google Map for a welding supply store near you. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/18 "2015-03-18T21:26:29Z")
Another option, though not quite direct, is to find a muddy puddle and look at the reflection of the Sun in the puddle’s surface. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/19 "2015-03-18T22:28:35Z")
How muddy? We’re actually meeting by a lake. Is it safe to view the reflection from a relatively clean lake? ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289/20 "2015-03-18T22:40:41Z")
Old floppy disk have a slot in the outside opaque cover. The last time we had a major solar eclipse visible in the Western US someone suggested stacking two floppy disks and view through this slot. At the time no one shouted ‘‘NO!’’. I tried it and experienced no difficulties, howbeit,I only viewed the eclipse briefly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-directly-view-the-solar-eclipse-safely-and-cheaply/715289.md?page=2)