What to do during the eclipse ?

  • Viewing

    Looking directly at the Sun, even for just a few seconds, can cause permanent damage to the retina of the eye. This damage can result in impairment of vision, up to an including blindness. Because of that, viewing the Sun during partial and annular eclipses requires special eye protection, or indirect viewing methods, if eye damage is to be avoided. Sunglasses do not make viewing the Sun safe. Observation should be done using special glasses. Don't watch the eclipse too often, juste one or two minutes and then make a pause. They may also be observed indirectly by using the principle of the pinhole ( small circular hole in a sheet of paper, projection on a paper or on the floor from the leaves of a tree or cross fingers ). The projected image of the Sun can then be safely viewed.

    Don't look at the Sun with your camera or your phone, the shutter and the photodetector may be damaged - the objective acting as a magnifying glass.

    What to watch ?

    You should look at the ring of fire ( the Moon covers the Sun's center, leaving the Sun's visible outer edges to form a "ring of fire" around the Moon ) :

    And the Baily's beads ( the pearl necklace of the Sun ) :