# Looking at the eclipse **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 23, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227 "2014-10-23T03:27:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/1 "2014-10-23T03:27:51Z")
I kinda want to check it out. Can I look at it through those roll-up sunglasses the eye doctor gives me? ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/2 "2014-10-23T03:29:06Z")
If it’s a solar eclipse - no. Your eyes will be damaged. If it’s a lunar eclipse - no. You won’t see a thing. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/3 "2014-10-23T03:37:04Z")
I wouldn’t advise using those sunglasses, but you can use welding goggles. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/4 "2014-10-23T03:45:08Z")
When ophthalmologists look at the retinas of people that have observed an eclipse directly, they can see an image of the eclipse burned into there. The damage is instantaneous and permanent. [Make a pinhole viewer instead.](http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/how.html) ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/5 "2014-10-23T04:21:46Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > When ophthalmologists look at the retinas of people that have observed an eclipse directly, they can see an image of the eclipse burned into there. The damage is instantaneous and permanent. [Make a pinhole viewer instead.](http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/how.html) Thanks for the link chacoguy. I was in Reno, NV during a solar eclipse. The radio guy suggested that if you want to view the eclipse, go to this casino and steal one of their ashtrays to view it. They were dark glass ashtrays. This was many years ago. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/6 "2014-10-23T04:29:21Z")
I had really good results using binoculars projecting the eclipse onto a dark colored board the last eclipse that was visible where I live. point the eye piece at the board and the other end towards the sun. This resulted in a much more visible image than using a pinhole viewer. > **[Astro Bob](https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/lifestyle/astro-bob)** > > Bob King's 'Astro Bob' is astronomy for everyone. Mars, Milky Way, Northern Lights, constellations, star gazing and much more. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/7 "2014-10-23T04:36:26Z")
You can also project an image with just a magnifying glass the idea is not to focus the sun onto a point but to bring the image of the sun into sharp focus. This involves a different distance between the magnifying glass and the paper than when you want to burn a hole in the paper. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/8 "2014-10-23T06:26:42Z")
I took [THIS IMAGE](http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj148/moabokeeffe/DSC_0047.jpg?1414043188646&1414043264574&1414043333547&1414043414240&1414043534714&1414043679193) at Chaco Canyon in 2012. It was with a Canon DSLR, handheld. The focus was manually set to infinity. I set the ISO to ‘6’ or whatever the lowest one was. The f-Stop was 22, I think. The speed was 4000/sec. I mean, after all, you’re shooting the Sun itself. - Do Not Look At The Sun-Ever. - So here’s the critical part. Extend the camera over your head; then turn your body 90 degrees to where the sun is in the sky. Do Not Look at the Sun, look at your camera. Based on the shadows off of the outside of the camera, you can get a basic idea of when it’s aimed at the sun. Then, if you look at the viewfinder, obliquely, you will be able to tell when light is flowing down the barrel. - Do Not Look At The Sun-Ever. - Mash on the shutter, you’re going to get some shaky, hand held shots with the longest lens that you own. - Do Not Look At The Sun-Ever. - ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/9 "2014-10-23T06:37:39Z")
We went up to the rainshadow area for the transit of Venus a couple years ago. Trying to use lenses on paper was basically no joy, our stuff was just not up to it. But then we went up into the park, because we were there and it was a better thing than totally wasting a trip – and there was a guy there who had set up his homemade 20"-by-4’ telescope with a sun filter on it and was letting people look. We got a totally awesome view of it, between passages of the mountain the mist. Thank you, guy with the telescope. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/10 "2014-10-23T07:26:17Z")
It’s too late now, but I ordered some solar filter film back before the Venus transit, and secured it to the front of my binoculars. Got an excellent view out of it; sunspots in particular were very clear. If you manage to get a hold of some film and wish to do the same, make sure to secure it to the **front** (objective) lens, and **not** the eyepiece lens. The film will receive too much light (heat) at the eyepiece and runs a real risk of melting through. It’s not a problem at the objective side as long as you secure it well. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/11 "2014-10-23T09:19:34Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I kinda want to check it out. Can I look at it through those roll-up sunglasses the eye doctor gives me? Echoing what others have said- do not use those roll-up sunglasses! [These](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00712I3JA/?tag=slatmaga-20) work very well, but that probably won’t help you for today’s eclipse, unless you have some lying around. Too late to order them. You can use binoculars to project the image onto a flat surface as **gazpacho** described. Just don’t look through the binoculars! One of the photos in **gazpacho** ’s link shows how to do it. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/12 "2014-10-23T12:38:33Z")
Years ago, in the days of chemical photography, I stacked up about ten photo negatives, and looked at an eclipse through those. They passed enough light to see the shape of the eclipsed sun. If the stack was too opaque, I could remove one at a time until the image was visible. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/13 "2014-10-23T12:50:31Z")
So what would happen if I pointed the camera of my phone to see the eclipse and watched on the view screen? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/14 "2014-10-23T13:02:02Z")
Just to reiterate and expand: Don’t assume that a makeshift filter is safe for viewing the sun just because it provides a comfortably dim view of the sun. It may look dim in visible light, but the “filter” may still be transmitting enough infrared light to damage your eyes. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/15 "2014-10-23T13:06:07Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > So what would happen if I pointed the camera of my phone to see the eclipse and watched on the view screen? Safe for you, and most likely safe for your phone as well. (Most phone cameras don’t have mechanical shutters, and they should be designed so that just pointing it at the sun wouldn’t damage it.) But I doubt you’d see anything interesting. Phone cameras have wide-angle lenses, and the sun is small. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/16 "2014-10-23T13:51:45Z")
The pinhole method produces the desired effect, but small and unimpressive. To enhance it, use a pair of binoculars to focus the image of the sun on a white card. Just line up the binoculars, wide end facing the sun, and focus the enlarged image on a white card a couple of feet from the small end. No need for the pinhole, just let the direct image pass through the binocs. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/17 "2014-10-23T13:53:45Z")
Thanks for all the info! I’ll be at work, and I’ll just grab a welding visor from Maintenance. ---
**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:** [October 23, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/18 "2014-10-23T15:29:53Z")
Just to be clear, looking at the Sun is _always_ dangerous. The only thing that makes an eclipse in particular dangerous is that during an eclipse, a lot of folks will try to look at the Sun. And yet one more safe method, with a lot less technology needed, is to find a muddy puddle and look at the reflection of the Sun in the puddle. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/19 "2014-10-23T16:29:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Just to be clear, looking at the Sun is _always_ dangerous. And please no high altitude balloons or iron man suits trying to get get closer for a better view. 🆒 I know how you dopers think. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227/20 "2014-10-23T16:44:39Z")
Is looking at a solar eclipse any more dangerous than looking at the regular sun? Everyone has had the sun in their eyes at some point or another (sometimes it’s damn near unavoidable when driving), but you never hear anything about how dangerous that is. But whenever there’s an eclipse people act like just glancing at it will cause your eyeballs to melt. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-the-eclipse/702227.md?page=2)