Tuesday Tip: Protect Your Eyes During Monday’s Eclipse

By Yehudit Garmaise

New Yorkers interested in viewing the last solar eclipse that will be visible to most Americans for the next 20 years can do so on Monday, April 8, at 3:25pm, but proper eye protection is required to prevent serious eye damage.

Eclipses occur when the moon casts its shadow on the Earth by partially obscuring the sun, which is 400 times larger than the moon.

When the moon obscures the sun in an ellipse, the air will get colder, the sky will dramatically and briefly descend midday, and the moon will visibly pass over the sun: briefly covering its powerful light and warmth.

Although the eclipse will only be partially visible in New York City, the moon will directly pass over Rochester, where residents can view a total solar eclipse.

No eclipse, however, whether partial, nor full, can totally block out the sun’s bright rays, so New Yorkers must avoid looking directly at Monday’s eclipse without proper eye protection. 

Please be warned that regular sunglasses do not do the trick.

Special eclipse-viewing sunglasses, which are thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses, are available at New York City public libraries, which will provide the special shades until supplies run out,” Mayor Eric Adams said at his weekly press conference at City Hall today. 

“People think they can just look up at it, and the eclipse is not a major issue, but is, so we really want to encourage New Yorkers to be very careful, said the mayor, who added that NYC parks will host eclipse viewing events in all five boroughs.

Because the sky will eerily darken midday on Monday afternoon, the mayor reminds New Yorkers who are driving at that time to use their headlights and not to look directly at the sun, as the moon casts its shadow on earth.

“Don’t damage your vision,” Mayor Adams said. “Do not look directly at the eclipse.”

To protect your eyes and the eyes of your children, please make sure to take the following precautions in viewing one of Hashem’s miracles:

1. All eclipse viewers must look through safe solar viewing glasses or “eclipse glasses,” which are thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses. Regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, are never safe for looking directly at the sun, and they are not safe for viewing eclipses.

2. Eclipse glasses that are torn, scratched, or otherwise damaged should be discarded. Adults must ensure that their children are properly wearing eclipse glasses that are completely intact.

3. Not only will the sun’s powerful rays instantly cause severe eye injury to viewers who are bare-eyed or wearing regular sunglasses, but camera lenses, binoculars, and telescopes must be used to view eclipses only with special-purpose solar filters that fit securely over the front of viewing instruments’ optics, urges science.nasa.gov.

4. Even though the sky will be dark during Monday's eclipse, the sun will still be very bright and dangerous to the skin of eclipse viewers, who should be careful to wear sunscreen, protective clothing, and a hat to prevent skin damage.