Prepare for tomorrow’s eclipse by making a pinhole camera
Tomorrow morning from around 9am to 11am there will be a partial eclipse of the sun visible in Spain and we’re getting ready to see this rare event!
We were really pleased to see the advice from Specsavers Opticas about how to protect your eyes from the sun during an eclipse, as I hadn’t thought about the damage this could cause. People with kids should particularly heed this advice and make a simple pinhole camera so that viewing the eclipse safely becomes fun and they don’t get tempted to look straight at it.
I wanted to share Specsavers’ advice with you to keep all your eyes safe, where ever you’re viewing the eclipse tomorrow.
“At Specsavers we agree with the RNIB, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, the College of Optometrists and the Association of Optometrists that direct viewing of the sun during an eclipse is hazardous. We suggest using indirect ways of viewing the eclipse.
If you have a telescope or binoculars, you can focus an image of the sun on to a white screen, or hold white card behind the eye piece, adjusting the focus so you can see the image on the card. An inexpensive alternative is to create a pinhole camera using a piece of card with a pinhole in it to focus the image of the sun on to a white screen or piece of white card. However please always take care to shield the eyes from the sun.
If you want to make a pinhole camera, all you need is two pieces of plain card. Make a small hole (not more than 1mm wide) into one of the pieces of card. Stand with your back to the sun arranging the cards so that the one with the hole is close to your shoulder, with the other card 1 meter away. This will cast an upside down image of the sun onto the piece of paper and you can safely watch the eclipse.
It is very important to note that sunglasses, smoked glass, sun capes, solar filters and visors are not safe ways to view the eclipse, so please take care of your eyes and only view it indirectly.
More information can be found on http://www.eyecare-trust.org.uk/, if you have any concerns please contact your nearest Specsavers Opticas to consult the opticians www.specsavers.es”
Here’s a good video showing how to make a pinhole camera. Now we just have to hope that the weather will be kind to us!