Here is the straight scoop on what the glasses actually do. You cannot look directly at the Sun, because even if it is covered up 99.9%, you will blind yourself due to the harmful UV rays it puts out. This is true whether or not an eclipse is happening. Normally, we don’t look at the Sun, because there’s no reason to, and because we’re conditioned not to – it’s too...
Eclipse chasers don't like to use the C-word, but they do have to consider the possibility, of course. If it's cloudy, you won't see what you will see if it's clear - simple as that. You can check the eclipse weather on our site, of course. For those in the path: If the sky is completely overcast, it will get VERY dark - pitch black, in fact, to the point...
Easy! Someplace in the path of totality, where the weather is clear on eclipse day! (How's that for committing to an answer?!) But seriously, beyond that general recommendation, eclipse2024.org can't tell you where you should watch the eclipse from - there are just too many variables in play: Where can you find lodging? What places might you want to visit in conjunction with the eclipse? [pun intended!] What is your...
It is an almost universal reaction after seeing a total eclipse: You will be asking yourself within about a half a second when the next one is. And the answer to that is that there isn't another one on land until 2026 (in Iceland and Spain). After that, the next "easy" one in North America doesn't happen until 2045! That is a long time to wait! Get to this one...
If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand. If you already understand, nothing I can say will matter. It's like having kids, or riding a Harley, or being in love. It just is - and you just have to believe. The author of this site has personally seen 13 total solar eclipses, and for the majority of them, he was traveling with at least one individual who had never before...
NO! NO! NO! These cheap "filters" are manufactured and marketed as being able to be inserted into the eyepiece. That means that by the time the Sun's dangerous rays get to the filter, they have been magnified by your telescope, and are being focused directly on that filter. The cheap glass cannot take all that thermal energy, and it WILL crack! If you are looking through the scope when...
Yes, you can certainly put them over regular eyeglasses, as I myself do! The reality is that these "eclipse glasses" are really solar filters, and are designed to be used for only a brief time, as you glance at the partial phases to check on the progress of the eclipse - and be able to actually participate in the excitement as the partial phase grows - toward totality! People will...
Why are they called "eclipse glasses"? Do you need them if you're in the path? What about if you're not in the path? (You WILL need them - get them now!) To answer these questions, we need to tell you some important things about total solar eclipses. FIRST, please go to the page that hosts the 2017 instructions for watching an eclipse, and read them - you have a few...
Whenever eclipse geeks are talking about their calculations, they always need to make sure they are careful to distinguish as to whether they're talking about "magnitude" or "obscuration". In case you'd like to understand this, too, here is a quick explanation. I'm going to use the word "percentage" below, but if you want to substitute "fraction" or even "amount" (so long as you understand what you mean by that word),...
Every person who chases eclipses finds something special in each one of them. We like to say that by chasing eclipses, we get to experience a "trip of a lifetime" about every other year or so! As with all things in life, it is not the destination ("We saw the eclipse") so much as it is the journey, the adventure, the risks we take in deciding to leave our houses...
