NASA shares how to make pinhole projector to view solar eclipse
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The first partial solar eclipse in over six years will be visible on Thursday when the sun will be covered by a New Moon. The event will last a couple of hours and will be easily seen by anyone with solar eclipse glasses, or even something as simple as a kitchen colander.
It is the first solar eclipse to be visible since 2015 and its peak will occur just after 11am BST.
However, those wishing to gaze upon the spectacle have been given an urgent warning over doing so.
According to Dr Chien Wong, a consultant retinal surgeon at OCL Vision, looking directly at a solar eclipse could cause irreversible eye damage.
Dr Wong said: “Solar eclipses can be a breathtaking spectacle. But if you’re not careful, viewing them can put your eyes at serious risk.
“Viewing the sun directly, even momentarily, can cause irreversible damage to your eyes – particularly your fine central vision. The delicate retina cells can be damaged by the sun’s rays, which remain powerful even during an eclipse.
“There is no treatment for this kind of damage, and clearly no spectacle is worth permanently harming your vision.”
The expert also gave some tips for those wishing to see the eclipse safely without damaging your eyesight.
Dr Wong added: “Wearing sunglasses will provide only limited protection if you look at the sun directly. The safest way to view an eclipse is indirectly – for example by making a pinhole camera out of cardboard.
“Dedicated solar eclipse glasses and filters can be used, but even they should be worn with caution, as the sun is still capable of breaking through this technology.
“While nothing beats seeing the cosmic beauty of the stars with your own eyes, when it comes to viewing a solar eclipse, it’s much safer to consider watching it on your TV.”
The eclipse will begin 45 degrees above the southeastern horizon (half-way up the sky) and will finish at 59 degrees in the south, making it easy to see from virtually all locations if the skies are clear.
For those without professional viewing equipment, using a kitchen colander to project the shadows onto a floor or wall will show lots of tiny crescent sun shadows at the eclipse’s peak.
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