How to safely watch a solar eclipse – (Including the paper plate eclipse method)

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celestron eclipsmart

A solar eclipse is one of the celestial body that gives thrilling souvenir in the history of mankind. The news about solar eclipse about to happen always goes viral and trend worldwide. For some it comes with twitchiness, others feel nervous about it after the long wait. Some people grace the occasion by proposing to their loved ones because of its sporadic.

One big concern about this limited occurrence is that it involves the eye-glazing at shiny materials for some minutes or hours.

People have devised varies ways to achieve outcome of seeing it from the traditional methods such viewing it on a bucket full of water to modern innovative ways like binoculars and others.

In the modern world, various innovation are in place to ensure that people watch the solar eclipse safely and achieve the enthusiasm in depth such as the Celestron eclipsmart 2x power viewers. For those who don’t have this gadget, they usually rely on images posted online, thus missing the thrill.

What is a solar eclipse?

Solar Eclipse explained

Ancient belief on the solar eclipse; Solar eclipse has been there since ages, rationally it was deemed as a bad omen and the sudden disappearance of the sun is sudden chagrin from gods. 

According to the conservation research a journal on how the ancients regarded the eclipse, the Egyptians worshipped Amun-Ra which is the sun as a god, the Greeks were having their goddess Helios and Japanese Amaterasu. With them, the fact that their god can just disappear was seriously phenomenal.

This prompt them to seek further intervention like fasting and making more sacrifices. But thanks to Astronomers, they have discovered the alignment that brings about this rare give modern society better understanding of the matter.

The solar eclipse;

A solar eclipse is a rare celestial body phenomenon where the new moon passes between Earth and the Sun creating atrial or total darkness in some parts of the Earth.

This solar eclipse usually involves the new moon, moving between the Earth and the Sun, this partially or totally brings darkens to Earth because the sun rays are blocked.

This solar eclipse can occur in four different types.

We have the partial solar eclipse, this is when a portion of the sun is taken not seen-bite portion (umbral shadow can’t reach the earth).there’s also Annular Eclipse, this usually covers the sun center making it appears like a ring whereby the edges are not covered.

Total Eclipse does occur when the sun cannot be seen completely, a situation where the moon passes between the sun and Earth creating total darkness.

We also have the Hybrid eclipse that is very rare, this is where some parts of the earth see partial eclipse while other parts of the earth see a total eclipse.

In late July 2018, people around the world witness the blood moon, Astronomers believe from their facts and figures that it was the first one to happen in the century.

Solar Eclipse

What is the next solar eclipse?

In 2020, there will be around six eclipses. First Partial solar eclipse, this will happen in between 5-6 Jan around East Asia and Pacific.

The second one will occur in July 2nd covering south of North America, Pacific, and South America.

The third solar eclipse (Annular) will be seen on 26th Dec, in East of Europe, East in Africa, Australian, Pacific, and the Indian Ocean.

How to view a solar eclipse safely

The retina is a very vital organ in our eyes, keeping it safe is the topmost priority each and every one should consider. The retina is the one that signals to the brain for your visual recognition, the thin layer of tissues is always found in the back of the eye.

Its main work is to receive light, now, the solar eclipse is very powerful and emit harmful ray if viewed directly, and this can cause blindness. This is can happen because corona produces electromagnetic radiation, if you use the required gadget you will see it greenish hue color.

It is therefore advisable, not to look at the solar eclipse directly with your naked eyes. The retina won’t cope with the strong radiation that is coming to it.

The Paper Plate Method

One of the easiest and safest ways to view the solar eclipse is the paper plate method which can be simply described in this diagram:

paper plate method

Don’t wear sunglass to have a glance at the eclipse. The enthusiasm that comes around by watching the solar eclipse is overwhelming, especially young people who have not witness it.sunglasses are plain and they don’t have shield and filters to guarantee you 100% safety like the Celestron eclipsmart 2x power viewer.

Some people might be tempted to take their creativity to welders mask. The solar eclipse emits electromagnetic radiation which cannot be protected by the little welders mask. The welders mask does not pass layers that enable radiation not to pass through.

If you are lucky to have a telescope, one best way is to look for solar filters. The best way to achieve it safely is by putting it at the sky end so that the rays don’t reach you.

Other good safe ways to watch a solar eclipse is by acquiring commercial solar glasses (Celestron ISO Certified Total Solar Eclipse EclipSmart Solar Shades Observing Kit) that are trusted and tested. We have a variety of commercial solar glasses that gives you 100% safety of your retina. They can be purchased from online stores or check local store if you might find one that is tested and safe.

Another method that is common nowadays is online viewing. There is a dedicated individual with exceptional gadgets like NASA. They do streamline live videos of the event as it happens.

Conclusion

A solar eclipse is a rare occurrence that usually happens when the moon is between the Earth and the sun, this phenomenon has brought myths and facts into play around it, like the ancients believe that their gods are hungry, but thanks to astronomers who shed light on the subject.

This solar eclipse has radiation that is very harmful to naked eyes and can cause blindness, to avoid this it is advisable to use safe ways of watching solar eclipse, for instance, the use of Celestron eclipsmart 2x power viewers can save retina from the strong electromagnetic radiation that is brought by the solar eclipse.

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