Astronauts Share Tips for Viewing a Total Solar Eclipse

Astronauts Stephen Bowen, Woody Hoburg, Frank Rubio and Sultan Alneyadi are on a mission to get you ready for the upcoming total eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024. Not in the path of the eclipse? Watch with us from anywhere in the world. We will provide live broadcast coverage from 1 to 4 p.m. EDT (1700 to 2000 UTC) on April 8. We’ll share conversations with experts and provide telescope views of the eclipse from several sites along the eclipse path: https://www.youtube.com/watchv=2MJY_ptQW1o WARNING: Except during the brief totality phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing. Indirect viewing methods, such as pinhole projectors, can also be used to experience an eclipse.

What is said in the film

Hello, stargazers, we’re NASA Astronauts Stephen Bowen, Woody Hoburg, Frank Rubio, and (UAE) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi. We’re on a mission to get you all ready for the upcoming total eclise. And there's a lot to cover. What? Where?

How? When? What is an eclipse? A total eclipse happens when the Moon travels between the Sun and the Earth and completely blocks the light from the Sun. If you are in the path of totality, everything will get dark and you'll be in for the show of a lifetime.

Expect a lot of excitement. Where will it be? If you want to know where the path will travel, I've got a map right here for you. The path will stretch from North America, starting from Mexico to Maine and even a tiny bit of Canada. How to look at the eclipse The only time you can look at the total eclipse without eye protection is during a brief period of totality, when the Moon completely covers the Sun.

Viewing any part of the Sun without protection, even for a short amount of time, can cause serious eye damage. One way to safely view the Sun is with eclipse glasses. Solar eclipse glasses are thousands of times darker than traditional sunglasses. Make sure they're ISO certified by looking for a label like this one. If they appear to be scratched or damaged, don't use them.

If you don't have eclipse glasses, you can use an indirect viewing method like a pinhole projector. Basically use any holey object and cast a shadow on a nearby surface and check out the crescent shapes. If you're feeling crafty, you can even make a pinhole viewer using a cardboard box. If you want to use a telescope, binoculars, or camera to view the Sun, you must place a safe solar filter on those too, except during totality. If you're not lucky enough to be near the eclipse, you can still experience it all with NASA's live coverage on NASA+.

April 8th from 1 to 4 p. m. EDT. Of course, you can find all this information and more at go. nasa.

gov/Eclipse2024. Happy viewing.

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