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Are you ready for the solar eclipse 2015?

The Clare & Illingworth team are more than a little excited for tomorrows solar eclipse! Such a rare and eerie event. Fingers crossed for clearer skies than the last few days and here are our top tips for keeping your eyes safe and healthy whilst enjoying this rare event!

The eclipse, which happens when the moon comes between the sun and the earth, will see the UK plunged into darkness for several minutes. As tempting as it is, please, please do not look directly at the sun during the solar eclipse. This is because the radiation emitted by the sun is so powerful it may cause a solar burn of the retina… ouch!

TOP TIPS

Don’t

  • Don’t look directly at the sun, even with sunglasses on – they don’t offer enough protection
  • Don’t watch it directly through a telescope, binoculars, camera or camera-phone. Even if you are just lining up the projection, this still puts you at risk

Do:

  • Use a pinhole projection method. This involves putting a hole in a piece of cardboard, and holding the cardboard up – with your back to the sun – so that an image of the sun is projected onto another piece of paper or card. This works well using a cardboard box, and will allow you to see the progress of the eclipse without damaging your eyes
  • Use glasses with specially designed solar filters (bearing the appropriate CE mark) if you have to view the eclipse directly.

By being careful during the solar eclipse, everyone can enjoy this rare event without putting, what many of us regard, our most precious sense of sight at risk.

Enjoy, take care, 

Richard

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