How to safely view the solar eclipse on 15th January
A couple of days ago I made two how-to videos, narrated in Dhivehi, on how to make a pinhole projector to safely view the upcoming annular solar eclipse on the 15th of January which is to be visible in the Maldives. The videos are now live on the Maldives Science Society's YouTube channel.
Viewing an annular solar eclipse with the naked eye is detrimental to the health of the eye and can even lead to serious complications including retinal blindness. Sunglasses (whatever the type, quality or price!), exposed X-ray paper and developed color photographic films are all ineffective when it comes to viewing the sun directly and hence should not be used. Welder's goggles, aluminized mylar and dedicated solar filters are safe to use but can be hard to get hold of for the average person in Maldives. Perhaps the easiest and most accessible method in the Maldives for safely viewing a solar eclipse is to build and use a pinhole projector. A pinhole projector can be built in under 5 minutes using items easily available at home and/or bought cheaply from shops selling household items.
I've published an article on the subject of viewing the solar eclipse safely at Muraasil (ޖެނުއަރީ 15ގައި ހިފާ އިރުކޭތަ ރައްކާތެރިކަމާއި އެކު ބަލާނެގޮތް) for those who prefer their information written in Dhivehi.
Do feel free to share the article or the videos with your Maldivian friends to ensure they view the eclipse safely and enjoy it.
Note: Thanks goes to Mohamed for being the cameraman for the how-to videos, Razeem for suggesting "thinoasvalhu projector" as an appropriate Dhivehi name for pinhole projector and Jaheen for proofing the Dhivehi in the video.
Viewing an annular solar eclipse with the naked eye is detrimental to the health of the eye and can even lead to serious complications including retinal blindness. Sunglasses (whatever the type, quality or price!), exposed X-ray paper and developed color photographic films are all ineffective when it comes to viewing the sun directly and hence should not be used. Welder's goggles, aluminized mylar and dedicated solar filters are safe to use but can be hard to get hold of for the average person in Maldives. Perhaps the easiest and most accessible method in the Maldives for safely viewing a solar eclipse is to build and use a pinhole projector. A pinhole projector can be built in under 5 minutes using items easily available at home and/or bought cheaply from shops selling household items.
I've published an article on the subject of viewing the solar eclipse safely at Muraasil (ޖެނުއަރީ 15ގައި ހިފާ އިރުކޭތަ ރައްކާތެރިކަމާއި އެކު ބަލާނެގޮތް) for those who prefer their information written in Dhivehi.
Do feel free to share the article or the videos with your Maldivian friends to ensure they view the eclipse safely and enjoy it.
Note: Thanks goes to Mohamed for being the cameraman for the how-to videos, Razeem for suggesting "thinoasvalhu projector" as an appropriate Dhivehi name for pinhole projector and Jaheen for proofing the Dhivehi in the video.
