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What are you doing with your eclipse glasses?


Daria
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Someone today asked me if I'd had my glasses long, or if I got them just for the eclipse.  So I told her they were an heirloom from my Grandma, which made her laugh.  I was thinking it was a silly question because I thought eclipse glasses were a newfangled invention, but then I saw one of those throwback posts on facebook where someone's toddler was wearing eclipse glasses 8 years ago in Shanghai.  So, it made me wonder, was anyone else reusing glasses from a previous eclipse?
 

We watched the eclipse in a group at work, and only a few people, me included, brought glasses.  So, we passed them around.  At the end, I got 1 of my 2 pairs back and so I put them in my pocket.  Someone else came up and basically asked me to check that they weren't hers.  I said "I came with 2, I'm leaving with 1, I'm good with that." but then I wondered.  Should I care?  Are people planning on doing things with them?

I could see going to see the next totality, because my BFF is in Cleveland, but I figure technology will have changed and we'll be watching some new way, so I wasn't planning on keeping the one pair I've got left.  Should I?

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You're supposed to get rid of them after 3 years.

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

So, the chances of me making it to any of the eclipses during the next 3 years, all of them in distant places like India and Argentina, are very slight.  It would require me to win the powerball, which would allow me to purchase new glasses without hardship.

 

So, is there any reason to save them for the next 3 years?  Is there anything you can do with them, besides look at eclipses?

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You're supposed to get rid of them after 3 years.

If there is some sort of oxidation that goes on, I bet it could be slowed by keeping the glasses cold.  Every 10C (18F) colder should approximately double their life.

 

So perhaps put them in a couple of Ziplocs with as little air as possible and stick them in the freezer...

 

...and then in 2024 COMPLETELY FORGET they are there. :tongue_smilie:

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If there is some sort of oxidation that goes on, I bet it could be slowed by keeping the glasses cold. Every 10C (18F) colder should approximately double their life.

 

So perhaps put them in a couple of Ziplocs with as little air as possible and stick them in the freezer...

 

...and then in 2024 COMPLETELY FORGET they are there. :tongue_smilie:

That is exactly what I would do.

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If there is some sort of oxidation that goes on, I bet it could be slowed by keeping the glasses cold.  Every 10C (18F) colder should approximately double their life.

 

So perhaps put them in a couple of Ziplocs with as little air as possible and stick them in the freezer...

 

...and then in 2024 COMPLETELY FORGET they are there. :tongue_smilie:

 

And this is why I bought a Foodsaver.  So I can keep my eclipse glasses fresh for the next one.  Just seal and freeze!

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Donating to Astronomers Without Borders. They're collecting them to give to kids in the path of the 2019 eclipse.

 

This is a great idea!  

 

At first I thought I'd hang on to them for the 2024 eclipse, but now I see you're not supposed to use them after 1 year.  or 3 years.  or WHO KNOWS??!!  So I don't know what I'll do.  But for sure I'll hang on to a few pairs, just because I'm a homeschool mom and you can look at the sun through these things, you know?  That's reason enough to keep them with the science supplies!   :hurray:

Edited by Denise in IN
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Donating to Astronomers Without Borders. They're collecting them to give to kids in the path of the 2019 eclipse.

 

I wish I'd known about that! I tossed mine - they were free from the museum. I was tempted to keep them as a souvenir, but my inclination is always to keep things, and that way lies hoarding. So I try to resist whenever possible.

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I bought mine several years ago when Venus crossed the sun.  I had six pair.  I gave one away today, so now I have five.  I didn't know about the three year thing.  Fortunately, it was quite cloudy where we were.  Most of the time, you couldn't even see the sun.  But, once in while, the clouds thinned just enough to let the light through.  Everyone could easily see the eclipse without needing special glasses.

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I bought mine several years ago when Venus crossed the sun. I had six pair. I gave one away today, so now I have five. I didn't know about the three year thing. Fortunately, it was quite cloudy where we were. Most of the time, you couldn't even see the sun. But, once in while, the clouds thinned just enough to let the light through. ****Everyone could easily see the eclipse without needing special glasses.****

It was cloudy here and the only way to tell where the sun was located was to glance for the white spot in the clouds. When you glanced you could see the bite taken out of the sun.

 

Is that what you mean about not needing special glasses?

 

The reason I ask:

I am absolutely freaking out that my young adult kids and I screwed up by glancing at the cloud obscured sun. We did use glasses but given the conditions we did glance first to spot the sun and could see the crescent. We didn't stare.

 

I am literally making my anxious self sick. I'm usually hyper safety conscious too.

 

Ugh.

 

.

Edited by happi duck
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