PENNSYLVANIA, USA — The annular solar eclipse will take place across North, Central and South America tomorrow, Oct. 14. Part of the eclipse will be viewable here in Pennsylvania, despite potentially lackluster weather conditions.
If you want to catch a glimpse of the solar event, it's important to protect your eyes. According to NASA, viewing any part of the bright sun through a camera lens, binoculars or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front will instantly cause severe eye injury.
Luckily, it's fairly easy to make your own pair of solar eclipse glasses! According to Instructables, here's what you'll need:
- A large piece of poster board or card stock
- A template for your glasses (draw an outline or print out a template here)
- A solar filter
- A roll of blue painter's tape
- Scissors
- A pen
While there are a variety of solar filters available, only a handful have been approved by NASA. Use high-quality, ISO-certified solar films from reputable businesses.
Next up, prep your frames. Start by laying out poster board or card stock on a flat surface. Draw your outline or place your printed template on top.
Once your paper is prepared, use your scissors to cut out the frames. You should have one rectangular piece with cutouts for your nose and eyes, as well as two separate handles for your ears.
Next, according to Instructables, measure and cut the solar film so that it completely covers the eye holes of your glasses. Make sure not to puncture or scratch the film while handling it because any deformity can diminish its protective quality.
Also, make sure to not cut the film too close to size, you want a decent overlap.
Once the solar film is in place, secure it with your roll of blue painter's tape. If you decide to use poster board or card stock to make your solar eclipse glasses, it's time to tape the earpieces in place as well.
To determine the complete safety of your glasses, test them out!
Go into a dark room, put the glasses on and have someone shine a flashlight in your direction. If any of the bright light comes through (without a yellow/orange hue) then you, unfortunately, have a leak.
If that happens, follow the steps laid out again, using a new piece of solar film!