With the solar eclipse due on Friday, it is import to remind people not to look at the sun.
And there is a new danger – selfies! Taking pictures of Friday's solar eclipse on a smartphone could put people at risk of blindness, eye experts warn.
In 1999, when there was the last major eclipse, no-one really had smartphones or took selfies.
Daniel Hardiman-Mc Cartney of the College of Optometrists says: “This could potentially be very dangerous because people might be tempted to look at the Sun as they try to get the perfect shot or clip. And as the eclipse is a relatively slow process, people might end up accidentally looking at the Sun for minutes. And when taking selfies, it would be easy to keep glancing back over your shoulder to make sure everything is aligned."
Inadvertently glancing at the Sun - even briefly while setting up a shot - can lead to burns at the back of eye.
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists says there is no safe method for most of the public to look at an eclipse directly - even using dark filters such as sunglasses or through equipment such as cameras, binoculars or telescopes.
What is a solar eclipse, and how is it caused? What can members of the public expect to see, and how can they observe an eclipse safely?
The Royal Astronomical Society has produced a booklet, published January 2015, which explains the answers to these questions and more. It also includes links to resources for teachers. The booklet was created specifically for the solar eclipse of 20 March 2015, but the advice and explanations apply to all other solar eclipses too.
And there is a new danger – selfies! Taking pictures of Friday's solar eclipse on a smartphone could put people at risk of blindness, eye experts warn.
In 1999, when there was the last major eclipse, no-one really had smartphones or took selfies.
Daniel Hardiman-Mc Cartney of the College of Optometrists says: “This could potentially be very dangerous because people might be tempted to look at the Sun as they try to get the perfect shot or clip. And as the eclipse is a relatively slow process, people might end up accidentally looking at the Sun for minutes. And when taking selfies, it would be easy to keep glancing back over your shoulder to make sure everything is aligned."
Inadvertently glancing at the Sun - even briefly while setting up a shot - can lead to burns at the back of eye.
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists says there is no safe method for most of the public to look at an eclipse directly - even using dark filters such as sunglasses or through equipment such as cameras, binoculars or telescopes.
What is a solar eclipse, and how is it caused? What can members of the public expect to see, and how can they observe an eclipse safely?
The Royal Astronomical Society has produced a booklet, published January 2015, which explains the answers to these questions and more. It also includes links to resources for teachers. The booklet was created specifically for the solar eclipse of 20 March 2015, but the advice and explanations apply to all other solar eclipses too.
solar_eclipse_leaflet.pdf |