If you have binoculars, attach them securely to a camera tripod and cover one side. If you want to show the Sun to many people at the same time, you can use binoculars or a small telescope to project an image of the Sun onto a screen or white sheet of paper (almost any flat surface will suffice). The "throw distance" in feet, divided by 9, gives the image diameter in inches. Tape your card with the hole right onto the mirror.Įven at its best, pinhole projection gives only a small image. Hold the mirror in place with modeling clay. If the Sun is too high in the sky for this, you can direct its image horizontally into the room by setting up a small, high-quality mirror on the sill of an open window. (Of course, don't look through the hole directly at the Sun! Look only at the spot of light that falls on the paper.) Again, experiment with different size holes to get the best, sharpest view. Set up a white piece of paper across the room to catch the Sun's image. Arrange for sunlight to enter through a small hole punched in a card near the top of the window. Find a room with a Sun-facing window, turn out any lights, and pull the shades. Here's a much better way to do pinhole projection in order to look at the sun. A surprising amount of detail can be seen this way. Seen here is a simple projection setup made from a cardboard shield and a piece of white paper as a projection surface. A Better Pinhole Projection Method Small telescopes are especially suited to the solar-projection method. This lets you use a small pinhole giving a sharp image. A large hole makes the image bright but fuzzy a small hole makes it dim but sharp.įor a better view, you can reduce the amount of daylight shining on the viewing card by enclosing it in a long box (as shown at right). This technique is especially useful during solar eclipses: the projected image will show all the phases of the eclipse, just as the real Sun does. The hole will project a small image of the Sun's disk onto the lower card. Poke a small hole in an index card with a pencil point, face it toward the Sun, and hold a second card three or four feet behind it in its shadow.
#SIMPLE KID STARING AT THE SUN HOW TO#
The simplest safe method of how to look at the sun is to watch the Sun's image projected onto a piece of paper. Projecting the Sun It's easy to set up a basic pinhole projection system. Only use materials specifically manufactured for safe solar viewing or #14 arcwelder's glass.
They might reduce the Sun’s glare, but enough harmful radiation can sneak through to damage your eyes. A safe yet inexpensive way to view the Sun is to look through a #14 arcwelder's glass.Īlternatively, you can go to a welding-supply store and buy a piece of #14 arcwelder’s glass (as in the image at right), which reduces sunlight enough for safe direct naked-eye viewing.īut no matter what, do not use “filters” such as smoked glass, stacked sunglasses, polarized filters, camera filters, candy wrappers, or compact discs. If you’re observing the Sun without any optical aid, all you really need are low-cost solar observing glasses from companies such as Rainbow Symphony or our online store. There are numerous ways you can observe the beauty of the Sun with complete confidence that nothing bad will happen to your eyes. Using a Telescope or Binoculars to Look at the Sun.This article covers a wide range of options: Given these caveats, here’s some practical advice on how to look at the sun to safely observe sunspots and solar eclipses alike. To observe the Sun safely, you need to filter out more than 99% of the Sun’s light before it reaches your eyes. The danger is obvious: its disk is so bright that prolonged, direct exposure can cause permanent damage to the retina, leading to loss of vision or blindness. While it's easy to learn how to look at the sun as there are several right ways, there are also many wrong ways to view the Sun.
How to Look At The Sun Safely Kids can safely view the Sun on eclipse or transit day, or here at the solar star party at the Northeast Astronomy Forum, with the right equipment. Learning how to look at the sun allows you all the benefits of sungazing without any of the inherent risks. Viewing the Sun's brilliant face can be very rewarding - whether it's to see a simple sunspot grouping, to trace out a prominence high above the limb, or to watch the Moon's silhouette march across the brilliant disk during a solar eclipse.
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