PSA: if you have or are purchasing solar eclipse viewing glasses, please read this post.

[FaithManor]

There is a scam out there right now. There are producers of solar viewing glasses whose products are crap but have illegally used the ISO logo to market their products as safe. Permanent eye damage can be incurred from using the fraudulently marketed glasses.

 

This is a link to the list of certified, and vetted companies who produce properly filtered viewing lenses. Please consult it and make sure that the glasses you have purchased or are purchasing are from one of these manufacturers.

 

https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters

[mellifera33]

Good advice. I saw the paper eclipse glasses at Lowe's, of all places, and thought they seemed kind of sketchy. I went home, googled the brand, and hey--they're legit! On Friday I went back and picked up several pair along with my flooring supplies. :)

[Word Nerd]

People are terrible.

[FaithManor]

People are terrible.

Yes this! No morals at all. Damaged equals profit. What a world!

[Carrie12345]

I read a similar article, and my take away has been that there has been no confirmation of fake/inadequate glasses. Just the warning that there COULD be.

 

On one hand, safety is obviously important. On the other, so much alarm without a single proven example seems a bit much to me.

[FaithManor]

I read a similar article, and my take away has been that there has been no confirmation of fake/inadequate glasses. Just the warning that there COULD be.

 

On one hand, safety is obviously important. On the other, so much alarm without a single proven example seems a bit much to me.

The email that came to us by way of the National Association of Rocketry is that the claim has been verified. There are definitely glasses on the market with the proper filters so people are at risk.

 

Given the close association for NAR with NASA, we take it seriously.

[YaelAldrich]

I bought our first eclipse glasses at a science museum.  They are supposedly one of the "approved" manufacturers and look legit on the front side, but the back side is not at all like the approved ones.  It looked sketchy to me because the phone numbers of the company are written out as if they were from someone who knew how to call the US from overseas.  

 

I went to our local MOS and got real ones.  I cannot figure out which museum I bought the fake one from unfortunately.

[Happy2BaMom]

I appreciate the info. Thx for posting.

[DragonFaerie]

I read an article that said you could test your glasses. When you look through them, you should not be able to see any light at all, except the sun.  I just tried ours out on several lights around our house and couldn't see anything but black. 

[Tess in the Burbs]

I bought some on Amazon that showed one thing but a chinese knock off showed up at my house.  When I questioned it they offered me a partial refund.  I said I wanted a full refund.  They said ok and didn't even want their merchandise back.  I tried to contact Amazon and the seller about the fact the image advertised isn't what showed up but you can't say bad things in a review or it gets denied and the company listed isn't who shipped to me, so the whole experience was weird and no good results came of it for future purchasers.  

I did get new pairs from USA with CE and ISO certifications on them.  You can't see through these at all.  Sadly, my source has sold out as many have.  I remember an eclipse as a child where we did the box with the pin hole through foil and you look at the eclipse on the back of the box.  Not as exciting as staring at the sun, but you could see the overlap happening

 

[klmama]

After researching the risk involved with wearing fakes and even with looking through real ones too long, the dc and I have decided to take the boring route.  We have a relative with retinal damage, and it's awful; none of us wants to chance it.  We do plan to look out a window away from the sun to see how much it affects the light, and then we'll watch film of the eclipse on TV.  

Edited August 7, 2017 by klmama

[cbollin]

After researching the risk involved with wearing fakes and even with looking through real ones too long, the dc and I have decided to take the boring route.  We have a relative with retinal damage, and it's awful; none of us wants to chance it.  We do plan to look out a window away from the sun to see how much it affects the light, and then we'll watch film of the eclipse on TV.  

 

There are indirect methods to observe the changing shape.   Maybe these ideas can help it be a little less boring.

Watch the changing shape on the ground.  Leaves on trees can make good enough pinhole effect.  don't look at the sun through the trees.  no no no .  other way around.. look at the ground where the shadow of the leaves are.

 

I've seen pics of it on garage doors and sides of houses.  I've seen it in person in the 1994 partial eclipse too. In that one, I was trying to use the pinhole lens with sheets of paper, and then with my hands overlapping.  But then I looked on the ground next to me and saw it that way with trees.

 

You might enjoy this article from NASA about the science behind it.  https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2003/30may_solareclipse2

 

In the NASA article, it mentioned wicker baskets, and even window blinds.  If sun is coming in window, and you plan on being inside anyway, stand with your back near the window and look on the carpet or wherever the light falls.   (I personally would skip the mirror version if you're concerned the kids would do it wrong.)

 

and if you want some pics of tree leaves in eclipse, I'm sure you can find some online. but this one is nice and has still shots and video

https://petapixel.com/2012/05/21/crescent-shaped-projections-through-tree-leaves-during-the-solar-eclipse/

[cbollin]

I read an article that said you could test your glasses. When you look through them, you should not be able to see any light at all, except the sun.  I just tried ours out on several lights around our house and couldn't see anything but black. 

 

 

I was concerned our glasses may have been too old when I could see LED bulbs very faintly, and filaments on unfrosted incandescent.  I knew our vendor was legit...  but a little concerned if I could see LED bulbs.  however, with this article from american astronomical society, I'm back to feeling good.  I know the vendor we got was legit. It's one of THE top recommended places and happen to be located near me.  But maybe I had a bad batch or older ones? who knows?  But turns out (based on article in link below) that what I was seeing was within working parameters.

 

hoping this helps others as it helped me when I could faintly see LED bulbs and halogen ones too.

https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/iso-certification

 

but yes, read the warnings/instructions on glasses.  don't use for more time than indicated. etc etc.

[Lucy the Valiant]

OK, so if I purchased them on Groupon and they *say* ISO-certified, and I test them by looking through and can't see any light, that's how I know they are safe? 

 

Thank you for the info for a non-science-educated (but wants to learn) mama.

[Lanny]

Colombia is in the N.W. part of South America.  We will be getting a Partial Eclipse here, just over 3 degrees North of the Equator. At the moment, I'm not sure if it is 18.5% or 28% (2 different web pages I looked at) but we will be in it for almost 2 hours from start to finish.  I looked on a main NASA.GOV web page this morning and it said that it will be visible in Central America, parts of South America and in parts of N.W. Europe.   :hurray:  Now, to figure out how to view it safely.  Thanks for the thread OP!

[klmama]

Thanks, cbollin!  We'll explore those options!

[stephanier.1765]

Bought some legit ones at Walmart. I think they must have just put them out because the cashier was surprised to see them.

[heartlikealion]

I have seen two links for FREE ones. But I didn't know if I should sign up for them since I don't think I could keep them on my toddler and thus, we'd probably need to skip the viewing.