People take pictures onboard a plane during the so-called "Eclipse Flight" from the Russian city of Murmansk, to observe the solar eclipse above the neutral waters of the Norwegian Sea, March 20, 2015.
People take pictures onboard a plane during the so-called "Eclipse Flight" from the Russian city of Murmansk, to observe the solar eclipse above the neutral waters of the Norwegian Sea, March 20, 2015. Reuters/Sergei Karpukhin

For those in northern Australia who will get to view the solar eclipse on March 9, wearing of proper eyewear is important. Unlike lunar eclipse, watching solar eclipse, even if the view can only be partially seen Down Under, is damaging to the eyes.

The total solar eclipse will be best viewed in the central portions of Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia on March 8, while some regions in China, North and South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Hawaii in the US, and Australia will only glimpse partial solar eclipse. The natural phenomenon will begin at 23:19 UTC on March 8, and the peak point will be at 01:59 UTC on March 9.

Depending on where the eclipse is viewed, it is expected to last from one and a half hours to a little over four minutes.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the US, the only time that it’s safe to view the eclipse with the naked eye is when then Moon completely covers the Sun. It is never safe to look at it directly when it is at partial or annular eclipse, or the partial phases of a total solar eclipse, even when 99 percent of the Sun’s surface is concealed. The remaining crescent Sun is still intense enough to cause retinal burn and permanent eye damage. Since the retina has no pain receptors, people can damage their vision without feeling it when looking at the eclipse. To reiterate, do not look at the solar eclipse directly.

Therefore, to safely view the eclipse directly, one needs to use filters that have thin layer of chromium alloy or have aluminium deposited on their surface that can tone down visible and near-infrared radiation. A number 14 welder’s glass is a good example of such filter. It is impractical to buy a new one, though, if it would only be used for this purpose.

Sunglasses, both polarised and non-polarised, are deemed unsafe filters. Photography films, including all colour and black-and-white, x-ray films, CDs/DVDs, as well as smoked glasses, are also unsafe and not recommended for use in eclipse-viewing.

Here are some equipment that one can make and use to view the eclipse:

Pinhole projector

A pinhole projector requires a shoebox, a piece of aluminium foil, tape, a pin and a sheet of white paper. This will allow viewers to look at the sun, indirectly, through the makeshift projector.


YouTube/Videofromspace

Welder’s glass

As mentioned above, a welder’s glass is a safe option, but only if the lens shade is 14, which can block enough light from the eclipse for safe viewing.

Projection through binoculars and telescopes

It’s hazardous to look at the Sun directly even when using binoculars and telescopes as these concentrate sunlight. However, these equipment can still be used for safe eclipse viewing by using them as projector. Here’s step-by-step instruction from Exploratorium.edu in making an improvised projector using binoculars or telescopes.

Eclipse glasses

There are safety glasses especially made for solar eclipse viewing that can be bought online. These glasses should CE certified to meet exacting Australian standards for eye protection.

Read: Total solar eclipse on March 8: When and where to view the partial eclipse in Australia [VIDEO]

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