An NHS ophthalmologist has shared how people can use a common kitchen item to safely watch the solar eclipse. Ahead of August 12, many families are making preparations to watch the 'once-in-a-lifetime' event later this week.
UK-wide visibility and safety warnings
According to the UKHSA, the partial solar eclipse will be visible across the whole of the UK. But that doesn't mean everyone can watch it. The health authority explains that you should never look at the sun without specialist equipment, such as eclipse glasses with the international safety standard ISO 12312-2:2015(E).
However, there are other options for those without glasses, such as using a cereal box to make a viewer. Mr David Jones, a Consultant Ophthalmologist, highlighted four different options in a TikTok video for Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. The video was captioned: "Four ways you can view the solar eclipse safely without damaging your eyes."
Four safe viewing methods
Mr Jones said: "I'm going to show you four different ways to safely enjoy the eclipse on August the 12th. Now remember, the sun is going to be very low in the sky, so you will need to project the sun really quite vertically."
"The first, of course, is to look directly at the sun, but only with these eclipse glasses. They are very specific ISO standard, and you should never watch the sun with anything else. The second is much quicker. You will need a Biro, a piece of card and a screen to project the sun onto."
Demonstrating the method, he said: "So I'm going to make a hole in the middle of the card right here, and then I'm going to cast a shadow of the sun against the screen here. And what you can see if I get this in the right position, is an image of the sun on the white card."
The expert continued: "The next way to safely look at the sun is actually my favourite. And you will need a colander. If you hold a colander to the sun and you look away from the sun, protecting your eyes, you can make not just one picture of the sun, but 100 all at once."
Cereal box method
Finally, he explained how people can use an old cereal box to get a good view. "The most sophisticated way to safely look at the sun is actually to project the sun inside a dark box, and then you can see it really clearly."
Mr Jones shared: "So this, as you can see, is an old cereal box, and I'm going to project the sun on the inside there with a piece of paper that I've just cut out and stuck in. I then made two holes. One's a viewing hole, and one's the pinhole."
"You cover the pinhole with a piece of aluminium foil. You stand with your back to the sun and look through the viewing hole, and you'll see a picture of the sun, but in the darkness of the shadow of the box. So you get a really good picture of the eclipse."
