Thanks to the Space Science Institute and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, 4,800 libraries across the country will be able to give out a total of 2,000,000 free solar eclipse glasses for safe eclipse viewing on August 21.
The solar eclipse on Monday, August 21, will be a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event, and local libraries will be one place you can go for safe viewing. The Space Science Institute and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation have collaborated to provide 2,000,000 eclipse glasses to 4,800 libraries to ensure the public can view the eclipse without incurring damage to their vision. And we've got the list of which Denver metro area libraries are participating!
Courtesy of SpaceScience.org[/caption]
NOTE: Each library system has its own schedule for exciting preview events leading up to the big day, as well as viewing parties during the eclipse itself! Some libraries will be giving out glasses each day between now and then (on a limited basis), while others will be waiting until the day of the eclipse. Be sure to click on your library's link to see what they're planning!
[Many] are working together to help people understand and view the eclipse safely, and we are delighted to be part of this," said Space Science Institute Director Paul Dusenbery. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for libraries and their communities to work together to participate in a celestial event of this scope."
Image courtesy of WHNT[/caption]
It's extremely dangerous to look at the sun, even if most of its light is obscured by the moon," LiveScience says on their website. "Just as a magnifying glass can focus enough sunlight onto a leaf to start a fire, the lens in your eye can also focus that sliver of light onto your retina to burn it. And because retinas have no pain receptors, you can permanently damage your vision without even feeling it happen. Let us make this perfectly clear: Don't look at the sun during a solar eclipse!"If you can't make it to one of the libraries for a free pair of viewing glasses, you can purchase them online or even at random retail stores (I even saw them at Home Depot!). Just make sure that they're certified as safe by the American Astronomical Society and NASA (some are not). Certified glasses manufacturers include American Paper Optics, TSE, Thousand Oaks Optical, Baader Planetarium, and Rainbow Symphony. But if you're the crafty type, you can also make your own pinhole projector or viewing camera so you can see the eclipse phenomenon indirectly. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="20712,20711"] Are you planning anything special for the solar eclipse? How do you plan to view it? We'd love to hear about it in the comments!
