Solar eclipse, I don't understand why we can't look 😬

[Abouteffingtime]

I'm not stupid....really.

So mormally, if you look at the sun, its bright, but doesn't appear do any harm. (Based on my random viewing of the sun on occasion...) Can anyone explain to me why the solar eclipse is different?

Or, is it actually different?

I mean it’s fine to explain the risks. But why the need to be an utter dick about it?

Eeek! There’s a meteor shower this week as well as an eclipse. We’re doomed, I tell you. Doomed.

Google is your friend. 🫣😎☀

Stare at an eclipse to get fryballs, instead of eyeballs.

Thanks !! Indeed I am not going to go about staring directly at the sun. Its the "don't look directly at the sun during an eclipse" part that threw me off. Rathr than just dont ever look directly at the sun.

To make it simple:

During a solar eclipse when it is getting dark and dark the pupils in your eyes (the black centre) opens up (dilates) to let in light so you can see.

The sun's massive radiation then quickly and painlessly burns the retinas (a layer of cells at the back of your eyes) which are light sensitive and pass info to nerves which helps your brain form the image you are looking at.

Essentially, your eyes are tricked into dilating because your brain thinks it's dark when light is actually concentrated like a laser.

You cannot protect your eyes by squinting to take a quick glance because your pupils are still dilated and the sun's intense radiation is still able to enter and cause damage, again, which is painless, btw. And you won't know it right away. It takes up to 12 hours to notice the damage as the cells die.

No, sunglasses don't help. They actually let in a massive amount of light.
You need special glasses 100x darker.
If there is a scratch on them then they're useless.

Do not look through a camera, telescope, binoculars etc. You would need a special solar filter.

Please don't fuck with your eyes.

Please don't!

No, definitely not.
Regular window tinting and solar window film do not block the very intense and invisible infrared and ultraviolet light effectively to prevent retinal burns, even with sunglasses.

Additionally, your pupils will be dilated due to low light which allows the laser-like sunlight to burn your retinas. squinting doesn't change that or offer protection either.

Please don't try it.

So we shouldn’t be staring at sunsets or sunrise?

It’s not worth the risk love. Just trust the reason people wear eclipse glasses, that Oppenheimer witnesses couldn’t look at the bomb blast directly etc etc

It isn’t safe to ever stare at the sun (even during eclipses or sunsets) because the intense light destroys the retina. The brain can compensate for a small amount of damage by perceptual filling-in in the same way as occurs around each eye’s blind spot where the optic nerve is. So you won’t know there is any damage to your retina at first. As the damaged area gets bigger, there will be a point at which the brain can’t compensate any more and you will get a sudden, permanent dark area in the centre of your vision. Note that using sunglasses is actually more dangerous because they will dilate your pupils and let in even more solar radiation.

TLDR: looking at the sun is bad because it will burn out your vision and you won’t know anything is happening until it’s too late and the damage is permanent.

No. Staring at the sun at any time is unsafe.
Who knew? 🤷‍♀️
Additionally, many people don't realize UV exposure is a cause of cataracts and broad spectrum sunglasses should be worn always (like spf cream).

You can go blind.

I wonder if it's worth watching through a colander etc as advised on the link if you're too late to buy the special glasses. Has anyone done that with previous eclipses?

No, it still allows light to penetrate. It does not protect from intensely concentrated, laser-like rays.

Watch a safe, high-definition broadcast of the event from your computer or phone.

A friend of my parents damaged her eyes doung exactly this
Arent we supposeed to look at it backwards through a bit of cardboard with a hole in it
I have a vague memory of a pin hole camera?

You use the holes to project the image onto a flat surface.

You stand with your back to the sun.

You hold the colander up over your shoulder and look at the shadow image on the wall or ground.

You do not look at the sun at all.

Why not watch a safe, high-definition broadcast of the event from your computer or phone instead to watch in real time.

Quite. Personally I’ve found this thread interesting, and assume OP posted in a spirit of scientific inquiry. I wouldn’t have googled it because I have no intention of looking at the eclipse. And if it stops one person damaging their eyes then it’s worthwhile.

I agree. And I’ve screenshot a few replies to show my teens, incase they’re tempted to look whilst not knowing the risks (they’ll be with my parents so I won’t be there to make sure they don’t look!)

I’m also going to tell my husband because he can be a bit of an idiot and also not realise!

I must admit, I’ve looked at sunsets before and now a bit worried, I do have an eye problem that’s being investigated.

Fortunately we're not (so far as I know) farming ambulatory plants that kill people, so we're not quite as doomed as the people in The Day of the Triffids.

😂

Bless you, thanks for this. And you took the time to take the information from National Geographic and not just post a link like me, lazy fucker I am! 😂

!

I heard its fine because Triffids drink a lot of water so they all died off in the drought.

Why? Cos you’ll damage your eyes. I couldn’t get glasses so will have to use another method.

It was a night of moving/falling lights in the sky, never explicitly explained in the book, but possibly the remains of some kind of satellite weapon.