Solar Eclipse
Advice

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Warning:

During an eclipse, the Sun appears dimmer than usual. This makes it easier to look at directly - and that's precisely the problem. The reduced brightness can override the body's natural reflex to look away, allowing intense sunlight to reach and damage the retina. This damage happens without causing any pain, so you may not realise harm is occurring until it's too late. 

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Following the 1999 total solar eclipse, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists reported around 70 cases of people experiencing vision problems after watching the eclipse. Around 40% had looked at it for less than a minute. 

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How to view the Eclipse safely: 

If you want to use eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers, make sure they are genuine eclipse glasses with specially designed filters that meet the international safety standard ISO 12312-2:2015(E).

Alternatively, you can watch the eclipse indirectly without any specialist equipment at all. Safe options include: 

• a pinhole viewer, which you can easily make at home 

• viewing the Sun's image projected through a colander or the gaps between tree leaves 

• projecting the Sun's image onto a sheet of paper using a simple pinhole projector 

Whichever method you choose, make sure you follow guidance carefully. The Royal Astronomical Society has published detailed, practical advice on all of these approaches.