Eye safety
How to watch safely
The Sun is just as dangerous during an eclipse as on any other day. Read this before August 12.
ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses are required for every partial phase, that means the entire eclipse at any location outside the path of totality.
Sunglasses, smoked glass, exposed film, CDs and homemade filters are NOT safe. Only certified eclipse glasses or a proper solar filter are.
Only at a totality location, and only during full totality, when the Sun is completely hidden, is it briefly safe to look without protection. Put your glasses back on the instant the Sun reappears.
Children need an adult supervising their glasses at all times: a slipped or scratched filter is worse than none.
Never look through a camera, phone zoom, binoculars or a telescope without a dedicated solar filter fitted to the front, eclipse glasses do not protect you behind optics; the concentrated light can cause instant, permanent damage.
Where to buy eclipse glasses
Only buy glasses that state ISO 12312-2 certification, and only from a reputable seller, an astronomy retailer, a science museum, a planetarium or an established optics brand.
Approved suppliers (AAS)Avoid unverified marketplace listings: counterfeit glasses printing “ISO 12312-2” are common and there is no way to tell by eye. If the seller is not on a vetted list, don’t use them.
Never use glasses that are scratched, punctured, creased or older than a few years, and never reuse a pair you cannot account for. When in doubt, throw them out.