Solar Eclipse: What You Need to Know

What Is a Partial Solar Eclipse?

During a partial solar eclipse, only a portion of the Sun is obscured by the Moon. Imagine the Sun with a little “bite” taken out of it. Unlike a total solar eclipse, where the Sun’s face is completely blocked, during a partial eclipse, some sunlight still reaches us.

Safety First: Protecting Your Eyes

Monday is expected to be a cloudy day with light rain in the VCH region. However, it's important to take precautions during a solar eclipse. Looking at the Sun during an eclipse can be extremely dangerous, as our natural reflexes may not be as effective due to the reduced light. The Sun's intense radiation can cause severe damage to the eyes, especially for children, as their eyes let in more light to the retina than adult eyes. Therefore, it's crucial to avoid looking directly at the Sun during the eclipse and keep young children and other vulnerable persons indoors with the blinds down. You can watch the eclipse live online. If you decide to organize a learning opportunity around the eclipse, ensure that you follow safety recommendations for safe viewing.

  • Avoid direct viewing: Never look directly at the eclipse under any circumstances.
  • Only use safe viewers: Only view the eclipse if you have safe viewers and filters that meet the international standard ISO 12312-2.
  • Avoid homemade filters: Do not use homemade filters, sunglasses, ski goggles, camera lenses, smoked glass, photographic film, or x-ray film by themselves or in combination with a binocular or telescope.
  • Pinhole projector: If you don’t have eclipse viewers that meet the international standard, create a pinhole projector and focus on the projected image, not the sun itself.
  • Always supervise children and other vulnerable persons in care.

 

For more information, see:

Canadian Space Agency: How to safely watch a solar eclipse - Canadian Space Agency (asc-csa.gc.ca)

Canadian Association of Optometrists: https://opto.ca/eye-health-library/solar-eclipse-safety

Student Project: How to Make a Pinhole Camera | NASA/JPL Edu

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