I’m a part of the lucky few who will be witnessing this year’s total solar eclipse (and I was a part of the lucky few who witnessed 2017’s total solar eclipse). One of the things I’m doing to get ready for this year’s eclipse is making sure I’m taking good care of my eyes while I view the eclipse. It’s no secret that staring at the sun is very, very bad for the health of your eyes. And if you want to see all of the eclipse action, you do need to stare straight at the sun.
Enter solar eclipse glasses. These are special glasses that block out the most dangerous parts of the solar spectrum for human eyes. When you look through them, the sun should look like an easy-to-view yellow-orange circle. Do note that these glasses block out all light — so I wouldn’t recommend using these glasses while walking, driving or doing anything but eclipse viewing.
However, there are some bad actors out there who sell eclipse glasses that don’t actually do anything to protect your eyes from the sun. So, if you’re viewing the eclipse in any capacity this year, you’re going to want to make sure that your eyes are really being protected. Read on to find out about the steps you can take to make sure your solar eclipse glasses are legit.
For more, here’s how Solar Snap can help you take great eclipse photos and how to find solar eclipse glasses.
Check the ISO number
According to the American Astronomical Society, a real and safe pair of solar eclipse glasses should be labeled with ISO 12312-2 (sometimes written in more detail as ISO 12312-2:2015), which is an international safety standard that denotes the glasses reduce visible sunlight to safe levels and block UV and IR radiation.