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| Paper: |
The Essentials of Solar Eclipse Safety, or How to Practice “Safe Sun” |
| Volume: |
533, ASP 2021: Sharing Best Practices – AstronomyTeaching and Public Engagement |
| Page: |
13 |
| Authors: |
Fienberg, R. T. |
| Abstract: |
Two major solar eclipses are coming to North America: An annular (“ring”) eclipse on October 14, 2023, followed six months later by a total eclipse on April 8, 2024. In both cases all of North America will have at least a partial solar eclipse. This means that more than a half billion people will need to be educated about how to view and photograph the Sun safely. The safety campaign carried out by the American Astronomical Society's Solar Eclipse Task Force and its partner organizations leading up to the August 21, 2017, “Great American Eclipse” was remarkably successful. American eye doctors reported treating only a few dozen eye injuries after the event, most of them minor and temporary. Yet as we look ahead to 2023 and 2024, we still find plenty of confusing or misleading information about solar eclipse safety, even in otherwise excellent printed and online resources produced by experts. Here we present the essential points that everyone should know about how to view and photograph the Sun safely at various phases of a solar eclipse — as well as at other times when the Sun isn't being eclipsed at all. We'll also look at some of the ways that well-meaning experts go wrong when communicating with the public about “safe Sun.” |
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