eclipse

Does that mean that you agree with me, or are you one of those effete impudent snobbish AGW (Apocalyptic Global Wipeout) denialists?

Drivel: Words with more than three syllables are meant to impress, not to inform.

That sounds like a plan. If it's going to be cloudy (highly likely this year) we'll just scrap the idea.

As soon as Baily's Beads disappear, it's good. The other side is more dangerous because it's not obvious when it's going to end. A timer is the way to go (with margins, of course).

Absolutely correct. Eyepiece filters get hot and can crack. Never use them for the sun. They should be used for viewing the moon only.

A pinhole camera is good. Looking at the shadow of trees is interesting, too. The biggest mistake people make is not to look around them. There are some pretty interesting things happening on this planet going on while the eclipse is going on up there.

Please explain how drunk Joe Sixpack is gonna determine that without looking? How many idiots are gonna find your exclamation that it's safe with a google search and go do what they think they read?

People who declare, with authority, that something extremely dangerous is safe are acting irresponsibly. That you can wiggle out of responsibility on a technicality that Joe Sixpack doesn't know is irrelevant. You lack empathy, like most of the people on the web. IRRESPONSIBLE!!

The other side is more

The way to go is proper eye protection...PERIOD. Go blind if you want. Just don't encourage others to do so.

And there's always this...

Use realtime satellite maps to look for gaps in the clouds. You might get lucky that way. A total solar eclipse is a truly awesome phenomena.

By projecting an image of the sun onto a piece of card.

Or watching the shadow patterns in dappled shade (which is fun to do anyway). Just before totality you get interesting diffraction bands on the ground as the sun becomes a semi circular line emitter.

It is actually very obvious when full totality occurs as you would know if you had ever actually experienced one.

Darwinism in action. You cannot prevent stupid people from doing stupid things and it is foolish to try. As the notice in the laser lab used to say "DO NOT LOOK INTO LASER WITH REMAINING EYE".

Once the last trace of photosphere is hidden it is entirely safe to look at with the naked eye or with a telescope. In fact you will see precisely *NOTHING* through your peril sensitive sunglasses at totality which are intended to bring the suns photosphere down to a safe level.

At any organised events there will be telescopes with filters that allow viewing prominences in pure H-alpha and also in safely filtered white light. These are using special telescope filters designed for the job and locked in place so that they cannot fall off or break.

If people follow your advice they will miss seeing one of the most spectacular phenomena the world can offer by keeping their protective glasses on unnecessarily for the whole duration of the eclipse.

Other dodgy DIY filters are frequently suggested on the internet too.

Apart from fogged developed to black silver halide film most of the others are dangerous. In particular dye based black film will bring the visible light down to a tolerable level but passes so much invisible near IR that it will still cook your retina (and you won't notice until very much later). Eclipse casualties present about 6 hours later.

Whilst I fully endorse using the right filter or even safer projecting the image onto card you do have to be careful that a small child doesn't sneak up and try to look through a scope pointed at the sun.

Back in the days when smoking was more common we would light a cigarette from the exit pupil of a 4" refractor by the light of the sun as a demo.

The nutter could be right this time. The way Trump is talking at the moment I reckon it is time to buy big slabs of ultra pure refined silicon (and other semicon fab materials). We won't be able to make them anything like as good for decades after a hot nuclear exchange. Assuming there is actually something left of the Korean peninsula afterwards.

Real international researchers interested in this sort of thing contribute some of their time to CSER - including experts in almost every field where bad luck/technological breakthrough/mistake/terrorism could have cataclysmic global effects.

The UK Astronomer Royal Professor Sir Martin Rees is a founder member as are Professor Huw Price and Jann Tallinn (Skype).

At the moment the front runner for a manmade cataclysm is (possibly was) from mistakes made with DNA hacking kits or deliberate modification of existing pathogens by terrorists. Far too easy to hide a bio lab up to serious no good as compared to a nuclear enrichment plant.

You say he lacks empathy, but I bet he doesn't care!!!

Easy enough to check on any sunny day!

I've still have a few pairs from the last eclipse that was clouded over here.

I've seen one (~47 years ago - same place).

Pin hole camera works. If you've ever seen a total, it's not difficult.

I know you think everyone else in SED is a drunk Joe Sixpack, but you could try to learn something for yourself.

Yes, there are a lot of idiots in SED but it may come as a shock to you, there are some reasonably smart people, here, too.

You're full of shit. Nothing new. What I wrote is 100% correct.

Wrong.

That doesn't negate anything I've said. Fake glasses are dangerous, though not during totality.

Now you can take your "holier than thou" shit and stick it up your ass.

Drunk joe sixpack isn't prepared with a piece of card or have any idea what to do with it.

Ok, but what if he ain't exactly at the totality point?

Again, most people viewing the eclipse will NEVER have seen one. Some will likely lose the ability to ever see one.

Yes, but, as an expert in all things, YOU could refrain from telling people that it's SAFE. NOBODY is as smart as you think you are. Your "advice" should consider that. People will interpret what they read in their own context relative to their experience. The kids looking on will just look at the sun. An eclipse is an extraordinary opportunity to ruin your eyesight. Preventing that, or at least not encouraging it, should be YOUR first priority as an expert in all things.

Again, how does drunk Joe Sixpack determine that. Remember, there will be millions of people who are not in the path of totality. Most of those will be technically incompetent.

In fact you will see

My primary concern is that they might see precisely *NOTHING*... or a distorted view... for the rest of their life.

Yep, and those venues will be responsible for the safety of their visitors. Your input cannot help that one bit. But it has great opportunity do to harm to others who are not in the presence of experts at the viewing event.

Maybe, but they'll be able to see their grandchildren grow up. Your advice, while technically correct executed perfectly under optimum conditions and not emulated by others present who don't have the benefit of your expertise in all things, is IRRESPONSIBLE.

There is no astronomical event worth loss of eyesight. Risk may be low, but one person with damaged vision is one too many. Err on the conservative side.

MY neighbor asked me where to get glasses. At this late date, I wouldn't expect to find any from reputable sources. My advice was, "don't look at it." I stand by that recommendation. I suggested that one should look with only one eye no matter what the level of protection used. Just give some thought to which eye you can live without. Life is far too long to live blind.

I expect there will be some interesting effects when you go outside during the eclipse. But there's zero need to look directly at the sun. You'll get a far better picture on your TV. And it won't be any more or less spectacular.

Watching TV is a safe way to watch any phase of the eclipse.

Or emulate mommy looking up at the sun.

It may have escaped your notice but the sun is up in the sky every clear day for drunk Joe six pack to stare at. The last person thought to have lost his sight by staring fixedly at the sun for a mere 25s was the Belgian physicist Plateau (better know for minimal bubble surfaces) who was interested in after images and persistence of vision.

Then he won't get to see totality and should not look at the sun without suitable filter protection.

Worst case they will see precisely one total solar eclipse. The damage done by retinal burns does not show up for several hours afterwards. But most will just suffer very painful characteristic crescent shaped burns on their retina that although they can be seen by an opthalmologist do not significantly affect day to day vision. Most of our techs had one or two laser burns since lining up the teaching lab lasers was easier to do with unsafe practices (and the main beam was open in those days).

It is *SAFE* to look at during *totality*.

OK then. They should all hide indoors preferably in a darkened cellar and get blind drunk instead. Will that make you happy?

If he is on the line of totality it will be pretty obvious.

You would have to be *VERY* unlucky to lose your sight completely. The brain is quite good at filling in any gaps. AFAIK no-one has actually lost their vision at an eclipse although far too many children have had retinal burns that leave permanent scarring. This has been known for many decades - earliest notification I know of BMJ ~1959

And it is young children staring at the last thin crescent of solar photosphere without using a filter that you need to guard against. Drunk Joe six pack can go hang if he is too stupid to follow simple guidance.

This was the guidance produced for the UK 1999 solar eclipse - it just as valid today.

The rules are simple don't look at the sun without a protective filter except during the short period of totality when it is safe to do so.

Sit it out in a darkened cellar then. Better safe than sorry.

You are spreading unnecessary alarm and panic about an event which is one of the most spectacular natural phenomena you can ever see. If you refuse to look at it because of fear mongering then that is up to you.

The TV would not come even remotely close to what I would see with my equipment. I suggest you hide in a cellar with your TV and a six pack for the entire duration of the event. Be careful on those dodgy stairs!

Oh yeah, the Romanian pickpockets. Bastards.

Utter rubbish.

Have you witnessed a total solar eclipse? By your incredible ignorance, I suspect not.

You're way too kind.

Yes. I was in France for the 1999 total eclipse there.

Only a complete fool would be stupid enough to suggest that the experience could be enjoyed at least as much via TV. There is simply no comparison with the real thing whatsoever.

Obviously someone who is talking through his ass. It's not a football game.

Yeah well f*ck you, pal. I'm going to do something Jim advised me to do a long time ago: