How to make pinhole cameras to watch the 2024 solar eclipse safely

If you can't get your hands connected a brace of solar eclipse glasses, experts opportunity location are still ways to enjoy nan event safely.

There are besides unsafe alternatives, including wearing your normal sunglasses — aliases moreover stacking 2 aliases three.

"There's nary magnitude of sunglasses that group tin put connected that will dress up for nan filtering that nan ISO modular filters and nan eclipse glasses provide," said Dr. Jason P. Brinton, an ophthalmologist and aesculapian head astatine Brinton Vision successful St. Louis.

You besides shouldn't look astatine nan eclipse done a camera lens, phone, binoculars aliases telescope, according to NASA, moreover while wearing eclipse glasses. The star rays tin burn done nan lens and origin superior oculus injury.

So what tin you use? Here's what doctors suggest:

How to make your ain eclipse-safe glasses astatine home

If you don't person nan accepted star eclipse glasses, Brinton said you tin besides look done No. 14 welder's glasses (for group who whitethorn person access) aliases aluminized mylar integrative sheets.

Just for illustration pinch accepted star eclipse glasses, Brinton said it's important to make judge nan worldly you're viewing done is afloat intact.

"Make judge that location are nary scratches aliases damage," he said. 

How make a pinhole projector for safe eclipse viewing

No glasses? Indirect viewing is different measurement to bask nan eclipse without damaging your eyes. 

Brinton said location are respective ways to indirectly position nan event, including a homemade pinhole projector. Here's really to make one:

• Put a mini pinhole into a portion of paper
• Face distant from nan sun, holding nan insubstantial retired truthful nan sunlight hits it
• Watch nan pinhole projection of nan sun connected nan crushed (or connected a 2nd portion of insubstantial you clasp underneath), seeing it spell from a complete circle gradually disappearing 

"If you're successful nan way of totality, of people it wholly disappears." Brinton said. "That's an indirect measurement of viewing it that is appropriate."

How to make an eclipse spectator from a cereal box

If you want to make your indirect viewing instrumentality a spot much elaborate, you tin make an eclipse spectator pinch a fewer much materials astir nan house. Here's how:

• Find a mini container (popular options are cereal and footwear boxes)
• Cut 2 openings astatine nan bottommost of nan box
• Using tape, screen 1 of nan openings pinch a portion of insubstantial aliases aluminum foil punctured pinch a mini pinhole
• Face distant from nan sun, allowing nan ray to deed nan pinhole
• Looking done nan remaining opening to nan wrong of nan box, watch arsenic nan sun projection goes from a complete circle to an eclipse

The devices are simple: an quiet cereal box, immoderate scissors, achromatic paper, foil, tape, and thing to flick a mini hole! Ray Petelin

Need a visual? CBS Pittsburgh meteoroligist Ray Petelin demonstrated an easy step-by-step connected really to make a cereal container pinhole viewer, which you tin watch below.

Doctors stock really to make judge your eclipse viewers are safe

"Theoretically, since you are not looking straight to nan sun during nan eclipse aliases partial eclipse, (eclipse viewers) should beryllium safe," said Dr. Yehia Hashad, an ophthalmologist, retinal master and nan main aesculapian serviceman astatine oculus wellness institution Bausch + Lomb. "However, having said that, it's implementation that sometimes makes america worry."

• Are your eclipse glasses safe? Here's really to cognize if they'll really protect your eyes during nan full star eclipse.
  

Why? Sometimes group person a mini peek astatine nan sun successful bid to set nan container aliases pinhole successful nan correct direction, he said. This tin beryllium particularly communal pinch children, who whitethorn not understand nan consequences of looking astatine nan eclipse.

"This is what makes america sometimes blimpish astir this method," said Hashad. "We ever worry, unless you are supervising nan implementation of this, particularly pinch children since they are very susceptible to these types of situations."

Why do you request a typical spectator for nan full star eclipse?

Eye protection during nan eclipse is important to forestall oculus damage.

"If personification concisely looks astatine nan eclipse if it's highly brief, successful immoderate cases location won't beryllium damaged but harm tin hap moreover wrong a fraction of a 2nd successful immoderate cases," Brinton said. "As an ophthalmologist, I person seen patients who person alleged eclipse aliases star retinopathy."

Signs and symptoms of oculus harm pursuing an eclipse viewing see headaches, blurred vision, acheronian spots, changes to really you spot color, lines and shapes.

In:
• Eclipse