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How to Watch a Solar Eclipse

Total and annular solar eclipses are rare events. Partial solar eclipses occur more frequently-about twice a year-and are also interesting, especially for children. Looking directly at the sun during an eclipse can cause permanent eye damage; fortunately, it's easy to view an eclipse through a filter or by projecting it onto a surface. The following steps will allow you to safely view a solar eclipse.

Things You'll Need

  • Large cardboard box
  • Drawing paper and pencil
  • Solar filter or welder's goggles with with number 14 lenses
  • Camera or video camera
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find out when an eclipse will occur and what kind of eclipse it will be. Consider traveling to a place where you can see a total or annular eclipse.

    • 2

      Prepare to view the eclipse. Stores that sell photographic equipment or telescopes carry filters that will make viewing the eclipse through a camera or telescope safe. A pair of welder's goggles with number 14 lenses can be worn to view an eclipse.

    • 3

      Build a viewing box. This can be simple or elaborate. All you need is a large box with a pinhole in one side and a plain, light-colored surface opposite. Let your children decorate the outside of the box. Point the pinhole toward the sun and adjust its position until you get a clear image of the eclipse. The farther away the pinhole is from the viewing surface, the larger the image will be. A distance of about 3 feet is best. You can also use binoculars (large end toward the sun), the openings in a woven hat or even your own fingers to create a projection.

    • 4

      Trace the eclipse. Place a sheet of paper on the viewing surface and quickly trace the eclipse. As the eclipse progresses, move the paper and trace it again. This gives a permanent record of what you saw during the eclipse.

    • 5

      Photograph the eclipse. Using the correct filter, you can take photographs of an eclipse, capturing phenomena like Bailey's Beads, the diamond ring effect and sun spots. An eclipse that occurs low in the sky so you can get foreground objects makes a particularly beautiful photograph; consider traveling to a location that allows such a view. Eclipses may even be recorded using video cameras.


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