# solar eclipse blindness?



## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

are the warnings true? can you really go blind looking at it?
will we wake up Tuesday morning with reports of people gone blind across america?


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## xtthew (Aug 16, 2017)

I heard that Amazon had to recall their solar eclipse viewers because they didn't fully protect people from the sun. 

Those people who didn't get the memo of the recall will most likely acquire some degree of blindness.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

My eclipse viewing glasses have been recalled by Amazon and I obtained another pair. I've been researching this a lot. I've read a variety of guidance from different sources and here is what I know.

The main message is: unless you are in the path of totality, you absolutely cannot look at the sun -- even with sunglasses or even briefly -- at ANY time. *There is no part of Canada which is in the path of totality. Anywhere in Canada, it is NOT safe to look at the sun. Do not ever look at the sun, even during the eclipse times. Don't try it with sunglasses.*

It's safe to look at the sun if you use approved eclipse glasses marked with the ISO 12312-2 standard. Not sunglasses. Just 15 minutes ago, I stepped outside and used my ISO approved eclipse glasses to look briefly at the sun. The sun appears as an orange circle. Do not ever look at the sun without approved, certified eclipse glasses.

Even with approved eclipse glasses, limit how long you look at the sun to under a minute or so.

If you are in the path of totality, and only absolutely in the region of totality that crosses several US states as shown here, then there is a bit of a debate about what's safe. Most say that once the total eclipse has started, it's safe to remove eclipse glasses and look with your eyes. Others (I read a letter from a medical association) say that the period of total eclipse is very brief, maybe only about a minute, and since there's a risk of catching a little bit of sun at the end, it's still extremely dangerous to view the sun even during total eclipse.

I have decided for myself that even though I own eclipse glasses, I will not ever look at the sun with my bare eyes, even during the total eclipse. It's just too dangerous and the consequences are too great.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

wow. i didn't realise that. i thought we were safe out here by greenland hahaha.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Think of it this way. The sun is extremely bright, and even just a small sliver of the sun is enough to cause permanent damage to your eyes.

When the eclipse is viewed from Canada or anywhere outside of the totality region, there is always a sliver of sun visible -- and therefore it will always damage the eyes, even if it's gotten darker outside.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

....but, over the years...I (& prob. most people) have looked directly at the sun occasionally ...on non-eclipse days.....and no problem ...or is that different?


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

jargey3000 said:


> ....but, over the years...I (& prob. most people) have looked directly at the sun occasionally ...on non-eclipse days.....and no problem ...or is that different?


No different; in fact the sun is more harmful normally. The difference is that most people never look at the full sun for more than a split second. It would probably take a few seconds of looking at it to do any real harm. 

The eclipse is different because people could be staring at it for several minutes (depending where they are on the path of totality). It won't harm you to briefly glance at the fully eclipsed sun.

Edit: not a medically endorsed opinion -- just common sense.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

so...will ANY other countries - australia? china? africa? anywhere? experience a total (or near total) eclipse? 
you wouldn't know it if they did, by watching US (fake news) stations!! WOOOOOOOOO!!!


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## BoringInvestor (Sep 12, 2013)

jargey3000 said:


> are the warnings true? can you really go blind looking at it?
> will we wake up Tuesday morning with reports of people gone blind across america?


Interesting thread.
Do you have any reason to believe the warnings are not true?


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

no, no.... i'm not saying the warnings are false.
just thought i'd start an "interesting thread" 
(drat! who gave the safety glasses to Trump??)


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## BoringInvestor (Sep 12, 2013)

jargey3000 said:


> no, no.... i'm not saying the warnings are false.
> just thought i'd start an "interesting thread"
> (drat! who gave the safety glasses to Trump??)


https://twitter.com/leyawn/status/899657260154138625


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## DigginDoc (Sep 17, 2015)

I wanted to see if the (The world is coming to an end) people were going to say they were Right for two minutes! :eek2:
Cheers 
Doc


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

Next one is on Monday April 8th, 2024 and will be visible all along the shores of Lake Erie and the very south of Ontario (South of Hamilton, Brantford, Chatham). I'm gonna book a suite in Niagara Falls and make a real bash of it!

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2024-april-8#


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

I spent about 7 hours on the road today to catch the total eclipse in Oregon, a period of about 90 seconds.

Yeah, it's pretty amazing  An eerie darkness seeps into the sky in the half hour or so leading up to the eclipse. About two minutes before totality, the sky rapidly darkens -- but in a weird way that looks much different than what we're used to. The lighting is wrong, somehow. Shadows get sharper, due to the (nearly point source) of light.

I was most surprised by how _strange_ the lighting feels. The sun is still out, but dimmer, and it's nothing like cloud cover or anything you're used to.

Then the crickets started chirping. And before you know it, the dark shadow sweeps over you. Stars and planets come out... I started looking around at stars. But the most awe inspiring part is the black moon with the sun's corona shooting out from around it. *That* is the rare sight everyone comes to see. From my location in Oregon it only lasted about 90 seconds.


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

I remember a solar eclipse as a child but didn't remember the dramatic darkness that everyone talks about today. Looking it up now, it was an annular eclipse that swept across SW Ontario on May 10, 1994. When the moon is farther out in its not-quite-circular orbit during the eclipse, it appears too small in the sky to cover the whole sun, resulting in a ring of sunlight being visible during "totality" making it only an annular eclipse, and still very bright. About 60% of full solar eclipses are annular, only 40% are total. 

As tidal forces between the sun and moon slow the rotation of the earth (why we have leap seconds every once in a while) the orbit of the moon also slowly moves farther from the earth. In another 600 million years or so will be the last total solar eclipse, as the moon become permanently too far from the earth to cast a complete shadow.


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

I thought you might have gone to see, James, wow I am envious! I was just in Montana this weekend too, only a few hundred km from the totality path, should've taken more time off from work and stayed!


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

I should add, I've read on web sites that no matter how long the total eclipse lasts, it only ever feels like 8 or 10 seconds. I agree. It was over so fast.

When 2024 comes, I strongly recommend that you move yourself into the region of total eclipse. In other words, not Toronto, but right into the area of 100% total eclipse.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

peterk said:


> I thought you might have gone to see, James, wow I am envious! I was just in Montana this weekend too, only a few hundred km from the totality path, should've taken more time off from work and stayed!


I took the day off work, it was worth it. I saw many AB and BC license plates around, big campers. And now it's bed time... I've been up since 4 am.

It's still great that you got close to the totality path. Did you have a clear sky?


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

i see central NL appears to be in the 100% totality zone for the 2024 eclipse.
it'll be even eerier (is that a word?) to experience this with 6 ft of snow on the ground!


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## yupislyr (Nov 16, 2009)

I ended up in far western Nebraska myself to witness totality for the first time...



james4beach said:


> When 2024 comes, I strongly recommend that you move yourself into the region of total eclipse. In other words, not Toronto, but right into the area of 100% total eclipse.


...and I echo this wholeheartedly. An actual total solar eclipse is worlds apart from a partial or annular solar eclipse. Most pictures and videos DO NOT do it justice. You have to see and experience it for yourself at least once. The 2024 eclipse will allow a lot more Canadians to do just that, although traffic may be an issue. I drove 17 hours to get to a cloud free spot this time, and it was still worth it.


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