Solar viewer facts for kids
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Solar viewers are special glasses or handheld devices. They are designed to let you look directly at the Sun safely. You might also hear them called solar viewing glasses or solar eclipse glasses.
Regular sunglasses are not strong enough to protect your eyes from the Sun's harmful rays. Solar viewers have special filters. These filters block out dangerous ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) light. They also block most of the visible light. This makes it safe to watch amazing solar events, like eclipses.
The filters in solar viewers are very dark. They only let a tiny amount of light pass through. This is about 1 part in 100,000 of the light that hits them. This high level of protection keeps your eyes safe from damage.
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Keeping Your Eyes Safe During a Solar Eclipse
Looking at the Sun without proper protection can seriously harm your eyes. This is especially true during a solar eclipse. Your eyes do not have pain receptors in the retina. This means you might not feel any damage happening.
What Makes Solar Viewers Safe?
To be safe, solar viewers must meet a special international standard. This standard is called ISO 12312-2. The American Astronomical Society (AAS) provides helpful information. They also list trusted companies that sell safe eclipse glasses.
It is very important to buy viewers from a reliable source. Some products might claim to be ISO certified but are not truly safe. Always check for complete certification details. Also, be careful of fake versions of popular brands.
Solar viewers made before 2015 had a limited lifespan. They would have stopped filtering UV light effectively after about three years. However, viewers made since 2015 that meet the ISO 12312-2 standard can be used for a very long time. Just make sure they are not scratched or torn. If they are damaged, you should not use them.
When to Use Your Solar Viewers
You should always use solar viewers when watching a partial solar eclipse. You also need them during the partial stages of a total solar eclipse. This is when the Moon covers only part of the Sun.
There is only one short moment when it is safe to look at the Sun without protection. This is during the "totality" of a total solar eclipse. Totality is the brief time when the Moon completely blocks the Sun's bright face. As soon as the Sun starts to reappear, you must put your solar viewers back on.
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Spotting Fake Solar Eclipse Glasses
Before the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, many fake eclipse glasses appeared. These fake glasses did not block enough harmful light. This put many people's eyes at risk.
It is hard to tell if glasses are safe just by looking at them. You would need special lab equipment. A good way to check is to put them on. You should only be able to see the Sun itself. You might also see very bright lights, like a strong LED flashlight. If you can see other things, like normal room lights, the glasses are probably not safe.
Major online stores, like Amazon, took action against unsafe products. For example, in mid-August 2017, Amazon removed listings for glasses that did not meet safety standards. They also gave refunds to customers. The Illinois Department of Public Health also recalled certain brands of unsafe glasses before the Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024.
Always buy your solar viewers from trusted sellers. Look for the ISO 12312-2 certification mark. This helps ensure your eyes are protected during an eclipse.
See also
- Astronomical solar filter
- Eclipse chasing
- Solar telescope
- Transit of Mercury
- Transit of Venus
