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What kind of eclipse glasses should I get?

By Katy Szpak

Posted July 11, 2023

People are seen as they watch a total solar eclipse through protective glasses in Madras, Oregon on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. (NASA / Aubrey Gemignani)

A total solar eclipse will pass over North America on April 8, 2024. With the path of totality spanning much of Indiana, including Bloomington, experts are suggesting that Hoosiers plan ahead.

Eclipses occur when the moon’s shadow blocks the sun and are not that uncommon. But next year’s eclipse will be special because the moon will be in a direct path with the sun, blocking out nearly all the sun’s light. The last total eclipse in the U.S. was in 2017.

Special solar eclipse glasses are necessary to view eclipse, as regular sunglasses do not provide enough protection to look directly at the sun. The only time the glasses can be taken off to look at the sun is in the few minutes of totality. Barrett Caldwell, professor at Purdue University and director for the Indiana Space Grant Consortium, recommends glasses with ISO 12312-2-2015 label and CE certification listed.

“These glasses have been tested for blocking most of the light that would come from the sun,” Caldwell said. “It’s really about, plus or minus, a million times stronger than regular sunglasses. So, when you're wearing the eclipse glasses, if you're not looking at the sun, it's really hard to see anything at all because so little light goes through.”

Solar eclipses occur around every 18 months. There will be an annular eclipse Oct. 14 in the southwest U.S., but only a portion of the sun will be covered by the moon. The next total solar eclipse to go through the U.S. after 2024 will be in 2044, according to NASA.

“When you get into the 90 to 95 percent coverage, it starts getting noticeably darker,” said Caldwell, who viewed the 2017 total eclipse. “When you get to totality and the moon's disc completely covers the sun, it is 360 degrees sunset.

“The animals that tend to be daytime animals, they start acting like it's bedtime, and they go to sleep. Then, when the period of totality is over, roosters crow again and the birds start chirping their morning songs again. It's really, really amazing.”

Caldwell recommends getting the glasses as soon as possible, as manufacturers may run out as the date approaches. A list of reputable solar viewing glasses manufacturers can be found on the American Astronomical Society website.