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During next month’sGreat American Total Solar Eclipse , you may be influence to take in the historical event by gazing at once at the sunlight , but you absolutely should not do this without the proper optic protection , experts say .
That ’s because , even though the Dominicus is some 93 million naut mi ( 150 million kilometer ) away , it can still cause serious , and sometimes irreversible , eye damage .
" Even very light direct observation of the Dominicus has the electric potential to cause wrong , " tell Dr. Russell Van Gelder , a clinical spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology ( AAO ) and director of the University of Washington Medicine Eye Institute in Seattle . [ The 8 Most Famous Solar Eclipses in History ]
On Aug. 21 , 2017 , the lunar month will pass between the Earth and the sunlight , causinga total solar eclipsethat will be visible from parts of the United States , along a minute path from Oregon to South Carolina . It will be the first time since 1918 that a totalsolar eclipsewill be seeable across the continental United States ( from the West Coast to the East Coast ) , according to the American Astronomical Society ( AAS ) . masses outside the way of the total solar eclipse will see a partial solar eclipse .
disregardless of where you observe the eclipse , it ’s importantnot to await straightaway at the sunwith the bare eye . To read why , recall of a child using a overdraw glass alfresco to burn hollow in report . " focalise the sun ’s rays on a individual level produce a good deal of energy , " Van Gelder said . And the lens in your eye is about four time as herculean as the eccentric of magnifying glass a child might play with , Van Gelder said .
" If you take a lens that has that much power and point it directly at the sun , the energy becomes very high , " and is enough to literally burn hole in theretina , or the light - sensitive cells at the back of the eye , Van Gelder say .
Patients with this condition , eff assolar retinopathy , show a very characteristic blueprint of eye equipment casualty during an examination . " It looks like someone took a hole punch and just punch out the photoreceptive cells in the retina , " Van Gelder told Live Science .
It ’s thought that this impairment bechance when photons ( light particles ) make free radical , which are extremely responsive particle that can " poison " cellphone and kill them , Van Gelder say . The damage occur in the fovea , a blot in the retina that is responsible for sharp , central visual sensation . As a resolution , affected role with solar retinopathy may have blurry imagination or a cardinal blind point in their eyes , according to the AAO .
Many patients with solar retinopathy recover from their symptoms , but some have lasting vision problem . For example , in a2002 studyof 15 patient role in England with solar retinopathy from viewing an occultation in 1999 , all but two had normal vision on an middle test 8 to 12 month subsequently . Still , even some patient with normal vision on an eye test had elusive eye symptoms , such as a lowly blind spot in their vision .
In theory , a someone could become legally blind — vision of 20/200 or regretful — from star at the sun . But gaze at the sun is unlikely to leave intotal cecity , or departure of both central and peripheral vision , because solar retinopathy typically does n’t damage peripheral vision , Van Gelder pronounce .
Because of the danger , the AAO recommends that hoi polloi not spend any prison term looking directly at the Lord’s Day with their naked eyes . There is one exclusion to this rule — if you ’re in the path of a full solar eclipse , you may look at the sun with your naked eyes during the brief time when the sun is in " totality , " meaning the sun ’s undimmed face is all freeze by the moon . ( The length of totality will vary depending on where you view the eclipse , but at most , this event will last 2 minutes and 40 seconds , fit in to the AAS . )
But there is a way to view the entire solar occultation consequence safety , using particular " occultation glasses " or handheld solar watcher that contain solar filters , according to the AAS . You ’ll need to use these glasses if you want to look at the uneclipsed or partially occult sunlight . The four producer with certified occultation glass and handheld solar witness are : Rainbow Symphony , American Paper Optics , Thousand oak tree Optical and TSE 17 , harmonize to the AAS .
It ’s of import to note that you should never bet at the sun through an unfiltered camera , scope or opera glasses , disregardless of whether you ’re wear out eclipse glasses . That ’s because these devices will focus the sun ’s rays even more than your eyes do , Van Gelder sound out , and this can cause serious eye accidental injury .
REMEMBER : Looking directly at the sun , even when it is partially cover by the moonlight , can make serious heart damage or sightlessness . NEVERlook at a partial solar occultation without proper optic protection . Our sister land site Space.com has a complete template forhow to view an eclipse safely .
Original clause onLive Science .
