The annular ‘Ring of Fire’ solar eclipse is crossing North, Central and South America on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 14.
As the moon passes between the Earth and Sun, it looks like the moon is covering part of the sun, causing the ‘ring of fire’ effect. Though visually beautiful, it’s dangerous to look directly at.
The University of Arizona Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium’s Marketing and Communications Manager Nick Letson gave some great insight. He said, “During an eclipse we get a lot of calls like can I double up on sunglasses? The answer is no. You cannot double up on sunglasses and safely look at a solar eclipse. We also get asked about welding masks. We don’t recommend that and that’s not safe either.”
Flandreau is selling appropriate goggles for $5, with the money going towards science education. The science center is hosting a free eclipse watching event with the following schedule:
8:12 a.m. – Partial annular solar eclipse begins 9: 33 a.m. – Max view time when the maximum amount of the Sun’s disk is covered 11:05 a.m. – Partial annular solar eclipse ends
Attendees will the chance to see the eclipse through a special telescope.
“What you really want are solar viewing glasses that are ISO certified for solar observation, which we sell here at Flandreau and a number of places around town and Home Depot also sells them,” Letson advised. “So, that’s really what you want to ensure your protection your eyes during a solar eclipse.”
Flandreau is on the UArizona campus at the corner of East University Boulevard and North Cherry Avenue.