Watching An Eclipse: Camera Screen Projection

Watching an eclipse is an awe-inspiring experience, but it's important to take precautions to protect your eyes and equipment. While it may be tempting to view an eclipse through your camera screen, experts advise against it due to potential risks to your eyes and device. The intense light of the sun can damage both your eyesight and your camera's sensor. To safely enjoy the spectacle, it's recommended to use specialised eclipse glasses or a solar filter attached to your device, ensuring you capture the moment without harm.

The dangers of looking at the sun on your cellphone screen

Looking at the sun, especially during a solar eclipse, can cause permanent damage to your eyes. Staring directly at the sun, or at other bright lights, causes ultraviolet light to flood your retina, burning the tissue of your eye. This can lead to solar keratitis, which is sunburn of the cornea, resulting in light sensitivity, pain, blurred vision, and spots. More serious and irreversible damage is known as solar retinopathy, where UV light burns a hole in the retinal tissue, destroying the rods and cones and creating a blind spot.

The dangers of looking at the sun are well-known, and many people are aware of the risks of looking directly at the sun with the naked eye. However, it is important to also be aware of the dangers of looking at the sun through a cellphone screen. Experts warn that looking at the sun through a cellphone screen is extremely dangerous and can cause serious harm to your eyes. When you point your cellphone camera at the sun, the bright rays can damage the digital components of your phone, including the phone sensor. This can result in an overexposed photo and even damage to your phone's sensor.

Even if you are not looking directly at the sun through your cellphone screen, the bright rays can still cause damage to your eyes. The sun's ultraviolet radiation can penetrate the screen and damage the cells in your eyes, while the heat from infrared radiation can cause thermal damage. This can lead to permanent eye damage, including blind spots, distorted vision, and decreased colour vision.

To avoid any potential harm, it is crucial to never look at the sun through your cellphone screen, with or without eye protection. The only safe time to view the sun without protection is during totality, when the moon completely covers the sun during a solar eclipse. At all other times, it is essential to use proper eye protection, such as eclipse glasses that meet international standards, to safely view the sun.

If you want to use your cellphone to view or capture images of a solar eclipse, there are a few safe methods you can follow. You can create a pinhole projector by poking a small hole in a piece of cardboard and holding it between the sun and a flat surface. This will project an image of the partially eclipsed sun that you can observe safely. You can also use your cellphone to access livestreams of solar eclipses provided by various organizations, observatories, and news outlets. Additionally, during the brief moments of totality, when the sun is completely obstructed, you can use your cellphone to take unfiltered photographs without risking damage to your phone or your eyes.

How to protect your eyes during an eclipse

It is well known that during an eclipse, without protective gear, looking directly at the sun can cause permanent damage to your eyes. So, how can you protect your eyes during an eclipse? Here are some tips to ensure you stay safe:

Firstly, it is important to note that you should never look directly at the sun, even during a total eclipse. The only time it is safe to do so is during the brief period of totality when the sun is completely obstructed. During this time, you can look up without eye protection and take unfiltered photographs with a smartphone or camera. However, as soon as the eclipse passes and sunlight reappears, it is crucial to put your eye protection back on.

To view a partial eclipse or the sun outside of totality, you must use protective eyewear that meets international safety standards. For your eyes, this means using special eclipse glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 standard. These glasses reduce visible sunlight to a safe level and block harmful ultraviolet and infrared radiation, which can cause irreversible damage to your eyes.

If you want to use your camera or smartphone to view or photograph the eclipse, you must also use protective filters. Cellphone cameras should not be pointed directly at the sun without a protective filter, as it can damage the sensor and result in overexposed photos. To safely photograph a partial eclipse, use a special solar filter or tape one of the lenses from your eclipse glasses over your phone's camera lens. For DSLR cameras, avoid using the viewfinder, and instead, use the screen to compose your shots.

In addition to using protective eyewear and filters, there are other ways to safely enjoy an eclipse without looking directly at the sun. You can create a pinhole projector by poking a small hole in a piece of cardboard and holding it between the sun and a flat surface. This will project an image of the eclipsed sun onto the surface, which you can observe safely. Alternatively, you can look for shadow bands, which are mysterious grey ripples that appear on the ground just before and after a total eclipse.

By following these safety precautions, you can protect your eyes during an eclipse and safely enjoy this rare celestial event.

How to protect your camera when filming an eclipse

Use a filter

According to NASA, you need to use the proper filter to protect your camera's image sensor when filming an eclipse. The best practice is to hold a pair of ISO-certified eclipse glasses in front of your camera lens.

Avoid direct sunlight

Keep your camera out of direct sunlight. You can use a light hand towel, an umbrella, or a makeshift sun shelter to protect your camera from the sun.

Keep your gear cool

If you're filming in extreme heat, it's important to keep your camera cool. Give your gear a break by taking it back into an air-conditioned room or car. Avoid abrupt temperature changes, as these can damage the internal computer and mechanical parts.

Protect your camera from the elements

If you're filming near water, sand, or dust, take extra precautions to protect your camera from the elements. Use a waterproof housing or a camera condom to protect your camera from water. To protect your camera from sand and dust, use a UV filter on your lens and keep your camera covered when it's not in use.

Using a pinhole projector to watch an eclipse

Using a pinhole projector is a safe and easy way to watch a solar eclipse. You can make a pinhole projector with simple supplies that are easily available.

To make a pinhole projector, you will need two pieces of white card stock, a pin, a paper clip, or a pencil, and some aluminium foil. Start by cutting a 1-inch to 2-inch square or rectangular hole in the middle of one of the pieces of card stock. Then, tape a piece of aluminium foil over the hole. Next, flip over the paper and use your pin, paper clip, or pencil to poke a small hole in the aluminium foil.

Now you're ready to start projecting! With the Sun behind you, hold the piece with the aluminium foil above the second piece of card stock (which should be on the ground) with the foil facing up. The sunlight passing through the pinhole will project an image of the Sun onto the card stock below, which you can observe safely. The farther away you hold your projector, the bigger your projected image will be.

It's important to remember to never look directly at the Sun without proper protective equipment. Pinhole projection does not mean looking at the Sun through the pinhole. Instead, you project sunlight through the hole onto a surface and then observe the image on that surface.

The best apps for watching an eclipse

It is well-known that during a solar eclipse, the sun can cause permanent eye damage without protective gear. Similarly, cellphone cameras are at risk of damage if pointed directly at the sun. Therefore, it is not recommended to observe a solar eclipse through your phone's camera or screen without proper filters or equipment. However, there are several mobile apps that can help you safely watch and learn about a solar eclipse. Here is a list of some of the best apps for watching an eclipse:

Solar Eclipse by Redshift

This app provides a simulation of a solar eclipse from four different perspectives: a view from the sun, the best location, your current location, and a map view. It also features an eclipse calendar that allows you to play simulations of past and future eclipses. While the app usually costs $1.99, it is currently free on Android for a limited time.

Smithsonian Eclipse 2017

The Smithsonian Eclipse 2017 app allows you to view NASA's live stream of the total eclipse. It also provides information such as the percentage of the eclipse visible from your location, the weather forecast, and an interactive map showing the path of totality.

Total Solar Eclipse from Exploratorium

The Exploratorium's app provides five simultaneous live streams of the eclipse, including commentary from educators and scientists, discussions in different languages, and telescope views. It also includes informational videos and science facts about eclipses and how to view them safely.

Solar Eclipse Timer

This app is perfect for those within the path of totality, as it provides audible cues and countdown timers for the different phases of a total eclipse. It uses your GPS coordinates to load the correct times for contact points and estimate the totality duration.

Eclipse Safari

This free app includes a countdown timer, an interactive eclipse map, a shadow tracker, an eclipse simulator, and a live stream on eclipse day. It also features a section of up-to-date eclipse articles and tweets from Space.com.

NASA GLOBE Observer

The NASA-sponsored GLOBE Observer app allows citizen scientists to submit their eclipse observations and contribute data to real NASA science. Users can continue using the app after the eclipse to submit observational data of Earth's cloud cover and mosquito habitats.

Totality by Big Kid Science App

Created by professional science educators, this free app includes basic information such as what you'll see at your location, the nearest spot where totality will be visible, and details about how, why, and when eclipses occur. It also features activities for families and schools, making it ideal for educators.

Frequently asked questions