How to watch the solar eclipse safely this week – even if you don’t have eclipse glasses

SKYWATCHERS in the UK are in for a treat this Wednesday when the best solar eclipse the country has seen in decades will grace our skies. But anyone tempted to make their own eclipse glasses should think again – here are some alternatives, so you can enjoy the spectacle safely. Buying eclipse glasses is a great way to view the celestial spectacle, but never make your own Credit: Getty It is essential to understand how to protect your eyes during a solar eclipse as looking directly at the Sun can cause permanent damage Credit: Alamy Can I make my own solar eclipse glasses? Eclipse glasses should never be made from household materials or ordinary eyewear. Safe eclipse glasses are not a DIY job – their filters need to block harmful visible light, as well as ultraviolet and infrared radiation. Sign up for the Tech newsletter Thank you! Regular sunglasses are also unsafe, no matter how much they cost or how dark they might appear. Looking directly at the Sun can damage the retina without causing pain, so you may not realise anything is wrong until it is too late. read more on the solar eclipse Clouds don’t make staring at an eclipse any safer either. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says an eclipse’s reduced brightness can encourage people to look at the Sun while harmful radiation still reaches their eyes. You can only use genuine eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer with filters that have been shown through accredited testing to meet the ISO 12312-2:2015 standard. Do not assume a printed ISO number or logo proves a product is safe, as these can be copied onto counterfeit goods. Most read in Tech Only buy certified eclipse glasses from reputable retailers including opticians, science centres and astronomy suppliers. Check the glasses or viewer before every use and throw them away if the filter is scratched, torn, punctured, loose or otherwise damaged. Put the glasses on before looking up, then turn away from the Sun before taking them off. Children should always be closely supervised. If you wear prescription glasses, keep them on and place the eclipse glasses over the top. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Never look through a camera, telescope or binoculars while wearing eclipse glasses, because concentrated sunlight can damage the filter and cause severe eye injury. Those devices require purpose-made solar filters secured over their front openings and expert guidance. It is possible to make a very simple eclipse viewer using a couple of pieces of card How to make a pinhole eclipse viewer If proper glasses are unavailable, make an indirect viewer instead. Punch a small, clean hole in one piece of card and use a second section white card as a screen on the floor. Stand with your back to the Sun, hold the holed card above the screen and let sunlight pass through it. Adjust the distance between the cards until a small image of the Sun appears clearly on the second white card below. During the partial eclipse, it should appear as a crescent. Watch the projected image only – never turn around and look at the Sun through the hole. It is possible to use a kitchen colander to view the solar eclipse Credit: Getty How to watch the eclipse using a colander There are even simpler ways to enjoy the solar eclipse that require no assembly whatsoever. According to UKHSA, “you can watch the eclipse indirectly without any specialist equipment at all”. Anyone can do this by simply “viewing the Sun’s image projected through a colander or the gaps between tree leaves”. As well as a colander, you will also need to put some sheets of white card on the ground to use as a screen. Hold it out with your back to the Sun so the sunlight shines through the holes onto the sheet, and each small hole will project an individual crescent Sun. What time will the eclipse happen in the UK? The deep partial solar eclipse will sweep across the UK on Wednesday, August 12. Astronomers are calling it the most striking eclipse Britain has witnessed since 1999. In the UK, between 90% and 96% of the Sun will be covered by the Moon. The moon will start to pass the sun at around 6.15pm, depending on where you are, with the maximum eclipse roughly an hour later between 7.05pm and 7.15pm, and the event finishing just after 8pm. As the eclipse occurs in the evening in the UK, the sun will already be low in the western sky, meaning viewers will need a clear, unobstructed view towards the horizon. Comment now