Pet owners have been advised on how to keep their animals safe during the solar eclipse this evening. Experts stress that most pets won't gaze directly at the Sun as humans might, making the risk of eye damage remarkably low.
No need for pet eclipse glasses
Ángela González, associate professor and veterinary surgeon, said: "There's no need to put glasses on them, and besides, most of them aren't used to wearing them." However, attempting to involve pets in the spectacle or bringing them to packed viewing spots with sudden changes in light levels and surrounding noise could unsettle them.
Dogs don't need solar eclipse glasses. Keep dogs on leads if you're outside, don't encourage animals to look upwards, and if a pet appears unsettled by the darkness, guide it somewhere familiar and calm.
How animals react to sudden darkness
Professor González also warned that particularly sensitive animals could be alarmed by the sudden darkness. She said: "It is true that a sudden change in light may frighten them, but normally nothing happens." Research from previous eclipses suggests that animals mainly react to the abrupt arrival of "night-time".
During the 2017 total solar eclipse in the United States, scientists noted that birds fell quiet and retreated to their nests, while crickets and cicadas began producing their characteristic evening sounds. Dogs also sought comfort from their owners or settled down, cats typically looked for shelter, and livestock made their way back towards barns.
Humans must wear certified eclipse glasses
Unlike animals, humans must wear special eclipse glasses when viewing the event, as looking at it with the naked eye can cause permanent damage. Bright rays from the Sun can burn the cells in the retina at the back of the eye, and the retina doesn't have pain receptors, so the damage isn't felt as it happens.
This can result in vision loss or blurry spots that may become permanent. To avoid this, it's recommended to wear a pair of ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses, as they only allow a small amount of light to pass through. Regular sunglasses are not good enough as they don't block enough light and therefore can still cause permanent eye damage.
Legitimate eclipse glasses will have the safety certification "ISO 12312-2" or "ISO 12312-2:2015" printed somewhere on them.
