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I’m part of the lucky few who will witness a total solar eclipse this year (and I was part of the lucky few who witnessed the 2017 total solar eclipse). One of the things I’m doing to prepare for the eclipse this year is making sure I take good care of my eyes while I’m watching the eclipse. It’s no secret that staring at the sun is very harmful to your eye health. If you want to see all the eclipse action, you need to stare directly at the sun.
Enter solar eclipse glasses. These are special glasses that block the most dangerous parts of the solar spectrum to the human eye. When you look through it, the sun should look like a yellow-orange circle that is easy to see. Note that these glasses block all light, so I do not recommend using these glasses while walking, driving, or doing anything other than watching the eclipse.
However, there are some bad actors selling eclipse glasses that don’t do anything to protect your eyes from the sun. So, if you’re viewing the eclipse in any capacity this year, you’ll want to make sure your eyes are really protected. Read on to learn what steps you can take to make sure your solar eclipse glasses are legit.
For more, here’s how Solar Snap can help you take great eclipse photos and how to find solar eclipse glasses.
Verify the ISO number
According to the American Astronomical SocietyA genuine, safe pair of solar eclipse glasses should carry the ISO 12312-2 mark (sometimes written in more detail as ISO 12312-2:2015), which is an international safety standard that indicates that glasses reduce visible sunlight to safe levels and prevent Ultraviolet and infrared rays.
Research reputable vendors
However, fake glasses can also be classified as ISO 12312-2 compliant, because people are, as a rule, greedy, selfish and cannot be trusted. To double-check the validity of the ISO claims for your eclipse glasses, you can find out if the seller you purchased the glasses from is trustworthy in the eyes of the AAS. See their list Reputable solar filter sellers and viewers. Really, the safest thing you can do is to choose a seller from the list above and buy your glasses from there, so you don’t have to worry about fakes and imitations when it comes to the safety of your eyes.
The list also includes large retailers and chains where you can get AAS-certified eclipse glasses, including Warby Parker, which is giving away the glasses for free starting April 1. Personally, I got my glasses from a trusted local museum, but I’ll do it. I still check my business to make sure I’ll be protected.
While compiling its list, the AAS checks to ensure that a manufacturer has obtained its ISO rating through appropriate laboratory testing. Manufacturers are also required to have authorized distributors and distributors for their manufacturers. If your eclipse shade seller is listed, you’re safe. But the opposite is not necessarily true. If your seller is not listed, it does not necessarily mean that they are spreading fake products. It just means that AAS didn’t check it or couldn’t track everything.
So, what should you do if your seller isn’t on the list? Perform an eye test.
Eclipse glasses vision test
If your fuzzy pair of eclipse glasses seems too dark, this is a good place to start. You shouldn’t be able to see anything through it except the sun itself or something similarly bright.
What bright object like the sun could you use as a test? the The works of Al-Aas It is suggested that you check the reflection of sunlight on a mirror or a shiny metal object. If the sun is behind the clouds or on the other side of the Earth when you want to test your glasses, you can use a bright white LED like the flashlight on your phone or a flashlight. Reflected sunlight or bright white artificial light should appear very faint through a safe pair of eclipse glasses. If you can see the light behind a lampshade or a soft, frosted light bulb through the glasses through eclipse glasses, you know that these glasses are not powerful enough to safely stare at the Sun.
When gazing at the sun through safety solar eclipse glasses, the sun should appear comfortably bright as a full moon, according to the AAS. If eclipse glasses are uncomfortable to use, this is also a good sign that they may not be legitimate.
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