Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

How are people sourcing and testing their eclipse glasses?

Amazon seems full of their usual random-brand-name search spamming.

I see this, but don't know how many people are informed by it: https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/how-to-tell-if-viewers-ar...




I got the ones B&H was selling and they're real (it also came with filters for phones and an app which I find suspicious). Amazon is way too risky for something like this when there's known fakes going around.


YOU COULD BECOME BLIND.

DO NOT purchase brand name spam glasses, in fact I would avoid Amazon altogether. NASA has a page of reputable vendors: https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/viewers-filters

I would purchase them now, as mine (Rainbow Symphony) took a few days to ship and arrive.


If you will be in the path of totality, you don't need eclipse glasses.

Just wear your regular sunglasses, and don't look at the Sun during the partial phases.

Bring a white sheet to put on the ground, and a large piece of paper with pinholes stuck into it. With your sunglasses on, look away from the Sun and project it through the pinholes onto the sheet.

Keep watching as totality approaches, and something magical may happen: ripples of light and dark on your sheet, as if you were at the bottom of a stream or river.

Then look up and you may see the Moon's shadow approaching at high speed!

When the shadow overtakes you, turn around and make sure there are no little specks of light around the edge of the Sun. (These are called the diamond ring and Baily's beads.) A quick glance won't hurt you, just keep them out of the center of your vision so you don't have an afterimage.

Then take your sunglasses off and behold the awesome solar corona.

As soon as any of those specks come back, turn back around, sunglasses go on, and maybe head out to beat the crowds!


Or, just order any on the NASA approved list OP linked.

You can buy these direct (for example), at a decent price:

https://medicalkingusa.com/collections/inventory-set


Nothing wrong with those, but again, they are only for the partial phases of an eclipse. You do not need them and should not use them during totality.

A partial eclipse is nothing special. There isn't much point in looking at it. Just as you have seen a crescent moon many times, now you will see a crescent sun.

It won't even have any of the cool craters and textures of the crescent moon. Boring!

Totality is where it's at. And if you forget about trying to look directly at the partial phases, you don't need eclipse glasses.


Agree that you should view the totality without protection.

But I’d argue seeing the diamond is far from boring, and you definitely should not view that without protection.


Oh yes, I agree completely! I neglected the diamond and beads. Well worth seeing, with the necessary protection.




Consider applying for YC's Spring batch! Applications are open till Feb 11.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: