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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe total solar eclipse is Monday—and it’s sure to amaze and delight the millions who see it.
Everyone in the Lower 48 states will be able to view at least a partial solar eclipse, assuming cloud-free skies.
To savor the eclipse, you don’t need special equipment. Even if you can’t get your hands on eclipse glasses, there are old school, low-tech ways to see it. If you’re crafty and canny, the eclipse can still be a memorable experience.
Safety first
The first rule of enjoying the eclipse is to avoid looking directly at the sun without eye protection. Even brief glances can cause permanent damage.
The only exception to this rule is for lucky spectators in the path of totality during the few minutes of the total eclipse, when the sun is fully blocked by the moon.
For those witnessing the partial solar eclipse, even when most of the sun’s surface is blocked, the remaining, visible crescent is still intensely bright and cannot be safely viewed without eye protection.
But, if you don’t have eye protection, here are some safe ways to experience the partial eclipse through indirect means:
Make a pinhole projector
A way around looking directly the sun is to make your own eclipse projector using a cereal box. It’s a safe and terrific way to capture the eclipse action.
Clear the kitchen table and find the craft scissors. In addition to the cereal box, you’ll need a piece of aluminum foil, tape and a small nail or pushpin.
First, eat your Froot Loops—or whatever toasted grain you prefer—and keep the box. On a white piece of paper or white cardboard, trace the bottom of the box. Then, clip out the traced rectangle from the paper and put it in the bottom of the opened box. That’s your screen that images of the eclipse will project onto.
Cut out two squares (1.5 inches should suffice) on the lid of the box and then tape the lid back together. For one square, cover the hole in foil and tape it down. Gently put a pushpin or small nail hole through it, as that is the lens that the sun’s light will pass through. The smaller the hole, the sharper the projected image.
When using your personal box theater, turn away from the sun—and let the sun’s rays shine through the tiny pin hole. Look through the other hole in the lid to see the eclipse action—during the eclipse you’ll see the moon biting a chunk from the sun.
Other kinds of small boxes—such as shoe boxes or small package boxes—work well, too. And your kids can decorate them for fun.
Looking to the trees
If you’re not inclined to make a projector box, you can also view the partial phases of the eclipse in the shadows of trees and plants.
The small gaps in between leaves, branches and pine needles act as miniature projectors. When light passes through, a small image of the sun is cast onto the ground. As the partial eclipse progresses, you’ll see the small circles evolve into sickle-shaped crescents, eventually waning to a sliver.
You may consider holding a white piece of paper or poster board beneath a tree or plant to make it easier to spot the shadows.
Gadgets and fingers
Leaves aren’t special—they just happen to be good at producing tiny projections. But realistically, any hole that’s about a quarter inch wide, give or take, will do the trick. That means you could even parade around outside with your pasta colander, cheese grater or serving spoon with holes in it and look at its shadow. Place white paper or poster board on the ground to see the projection more clearly.
You could also just hold your fingers out and crisscross them to make for half a dozen or so small openings between. Just extend your fingers on both hands as if you’re trying to make a W, and then overlap them.
Simple, yet elegant.
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