Solar Eclipse

[Alg]

People in the red dot (Parts of China and Japan, then from Oregon to Texas) get to see an annular eclipse. People in the shadowy area get to see a partial eclipse. It starts at 5:30 PDT in the States.

 

Wikipedia has tips about how not to go blind for the people who want to see it.

 

Figured it's worth a thread because this doesn't happen often.

[Lord Paul]

I'll be outside when it happens, for sure.

 

Thanks for the heads up! :thumbup:

[Sbrideau]

Unfortunately apparently it's already going to be dark when the shadowy part goes over the part I live in lol.

[stevepole]

I wonder how many people will go blind from looking directly at it..

[Randox]

I love how most of it will be over the pacific ocean where its difficult for most people to enjoy. Oh well.

[RpgGamer]

I wonder how many people will go blind from looking directly at it..

 

would have been me if not for this thread :lol:

[stevepole]

Same. I was thinking of going to the beach to watch it, but now knowing it's not very safe, I don't know what I'm going to do..

[Lord Paul]

I'll probably whip out my brother's telescope.. all you do is point it at the sun and stick a piece of paper next to the eyepiece and look at it that way.

[Ezee]

A solar eclipse on my birthday eh? I'll be sure to have a look.

[champion]

Oh man, I had no idea you could actually permanently damage your eyes just by looking at the eclipse. Huh.

[Will H]

Aw, no eclipse for me, the Earth is blocking the way. It's been ages since I've seen one.

 

Thanks for the heads up anyway!

[Calypsan]

Yet another reason I hate the South. :wall:

[Serpent Eye]

Yay for living in one of the few places to see the full effect. :twss:

[Guest Rob]

Is staring at an eclipse any worse that staring at the sun normally?

If not, I'll just wear very strong sun glasses under ski goggles or something.

[Assume Nothing]

[hide=Wikipedia's article]Looking directly at the photosphere of the Sun (the bright disk of the Sun itself), even for just a few seconds, can cause permanent damage to the retina of the eye, because of the intense visible and invisible radiation that the photosphere emits. This damage can result in permanent impairment of vision, up to and including blindness. The retina has no sensitivity to pain, and the effects of retinal damage may not appear for hours, so there is no warning that injury is occurring.[51][52]

 

Under normal conditions, the Sun is so bright that it is difficult to stare at it directly. However, during an eclipse, with so much of the Sun covered, it is easier and more tempting to stare at it. Unfortunately, looking at the Sun during an eclipse is as dangerous as looking at it outside an eclipse, except during the brief period of totality, when the Sun's disk is completely covered (totality occurs only during a total eclipse and only very briefly; it does not occur during a partial or annular eclipse). Viewing the Sun's disk through any kind of optical aid (binoculars, a telescope, or even an optical camera viewfinder) is extremely hazardous and can cause irreversible eye damage in a fraction of a second.[53][54][/hide]

[Kirschen]

Eh, seems the timing is inconvenient for where I live. Have fun for anyone who has the chance. I have never seen an eclipse before, ever.

[Will H]

Oh come on, looking at the sun directly isn't that bad. I'm not going to advocate doing it, especially for extended periods, but the dangers of glancing at it for a second are a bit overestimated.

 

That said, it's worth wearing sunglasses so you can look at it for longer periods of time.