You can’t stare directly into the 2024 solar eclipse (or any solar eclipse) outside of the narrow window of totality, but you can make eclipse glasses to see it happen! It’s time to prepare for the eclipse on April 8, 2024, and you won’t want to miss it. Who doesn’t love a fun art project we can all do together?
With this being the last total eclipse for most of the United States for the next 20 years, it is an exciting time for science fans. But you want to make sure you’re ready to watch the eclipse and not end up like Donald Trump when he just stared … directly at it—something you very much are not supposed to do, for the good of your own eyes. So let’s talk about some fun ways you can make your own eclipse glasses to enjoy it!
First, you’re going to need materials to make your own glasses. You can use things like old 3D glasses that you can change the lens on if you have them lying around, but otherwise, you’ll need:
- Poster board or card stock.
- A glasses template (instructables has a great template you can print out.)
- A solar filter. (Make sure it’s a brand approved by NASA.)
- A blue painter’s tape.
- Scissors.
- Pen.
From there, you can start to make your glasses, and it is pretty straightforward! You can either use the 3D glasses frames like we talked about or use the poster board/card stock to trace out your glasses template. Once you’ve traced it, you just have to cut it out! For 3D glasses, you just have to do the next part: the lenses.
Next, you cut the solar film to completely cover the lens portion of your glasses. Overlap is actually good, so try to cut them to be a bit bigger than the lens shape. Then, use the tape that you have to attach them to the frames! Make sure to test your glasses with a flashlight or some other light source in a dark room to make sure the light doesn’t come through in a harmful way.
And just like that, you have your glasses! But there are other ways to see the eclipse too!
How to make an eclipse projector
If you’re more into the box seats, you can make a literal box to help you safely see the eclipse. The viewfinder is made out of an old box of some kind (typically a shoebox works well), and then you’ll need tinfoil, white paper, tape, a pin or needle, and a box cutter or X-Acto knife. Near the top of the box, you’re going to cut a small square. Then you’ll put your tinfoil over that hole. In the center, poke a hole.
Inside the box on the opposite side, you can tape a white piece of paper to the opposite wall and then you’re going to cut another small square in the wide adjacent to the white paper that will serve as your viewing hole. NASA has a diagram that will help!
Get ready for the magic of an eclipse in a safe way! And then maybe afterwards, watch Little Shop of Horrors to remind yourself not to buy a plant after a solar eclipse.
(featured image: BBC)
