Can't find solar eclipse glasses or don't want to risk staying outside on Aug. 21? Don't worry - there are several other safe alternatives that will allow you to enjoy the Great American Eclipse without risking damaging your vision and, best of all, all you will need are some common household items.
Cereal box viewer
Looking directly at the sun (during the eclipse or at any other time) can hurt your eyes so if you don't have solar eclipse glasses, you can make your own pinhole viewer out of a cereal box.
Fruity Pebbles has created a last-minute DIY so you can watch Monday's eclipse with a cereal box. The project is NASA-approved and requires only a few items.
Here's what you'll need:
- Empty Pebbles box (or any other cereal box)
- Sheet of white paper
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Tape
- Aluminum foil
- Pin or thumbtack
Pizza box projector
You can also make a pinhole projector out of a pizza box. Pizza Hut has made a video to show you just how to do it.
Why you need special equipment to see the solar eclipse
During normal daylight conditions, the eye's iris contracts so that only a small amount of light passes through the lens and reaches the retina. During an eclipse, people turn their eyes to the sun for a longer period of time and that can cause serious damage.
The sun's brightness is enough that staring at it for even a short period of time it can produce enough light to damage individual retinal cells.
If you are in the path of totality - the 14-state region spanning from Oregon to South Carolina - you can view the eclipse safely during the period where the moon completely blocks the sun. If you're outside that narrow 70-mile wide band, you will need solar glasses or other viewers the entire time.