Solar Eclipse 2015 How to watch a solar eclipse safely

  • 9 years ago
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's orbit lines up in between the Sun and the Earth. The Moon blocks out the Sun's light for a short time, casting a shadow on the Earth. It's a rare event and only possible when the Moon is at exactly the right distance from the Earth. When can I see an eclipse in the UK?
On Friday 20 March the UK will experience the first eclipse of 2015. Selfie warning for solar eclipse It will be a partial eclipse, so the sky will darken but the Sun will still peek out from behind the Moon.

Never look directly at the Sun: you can damage your eyes forever.
Even the small amount of Sun peeking out from behind the Moon during an eclipse is enough to make you go blind.
Never look at the Sun through binoculars or a telescope.
Don't look directly at the Sun through sunglasses, or exposed photographic film - they will not protect your eyes.

Another way to safely enjoy the eclipse is to make a pinhole camera. This will project an image of the eclipse onto card.
You'll need two pieces of card. Make a small hole in the centre one of them - no more than 4mm across.
Tilt the card with the hole towards the Sun and use it to project an image of the eclipse onto the other card.

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