Now that I have your attention, it’s really not ok to look at the Sun with no glasses (I know, I think its lame too). A total solar eclipse is truly a once in a lifetime experience. I myself experienced one in 2017 as the Umbra passed over my hometown of Mufreesboro, TN. I vividly remember how the temperature dropped, the stars appeared as quickly as the goosebumps all across my skin, the birds all fell silent, and I just stood basking in the majesty of such an indescribably cool astronomical event. I remember realizing that we really *do* live on a planet instead of simply a world. All this to say, that I understand the appeal of wanting to see the moments before and after totality with your bare eyes. Unfortunately, our eyes are not equipped to handle that much stress. According to the NASA “Eye Safety and Solar Eclipses” article, the Sun produces UV light of wavelengths ranging from 280-320mn (UVB light) to 320-400nm (UVA light). This ultraviolet light is what primarily damages the retina of the eyes. The retina is made up of cone cells that absorb different wavelengths of visible light which allows us to process visible stimuli through the optic nerve and eventually the occipital lobe of the brain. The danger of staring at the sun without proper eye protection comes from the aforementioned UV light emitted by the sun. UV light can cause a very complex series of chemical reactions that in essence overloads the cone cells which are then damaged and even destroyed. This causes anything from short-term spotty vision or blurred vision to complete visual impairment/loss of vision. In order to fully enjoy this incredible astronomical event, and be able to enjoy any future ones, it is urgent that observers wear special eclipse glasses like these.
These glasses are made with special plastic lenses that filter out most of the light coming through to make it safe to observe the Sun directly. In fact, it’s also recommended that any cameras used to photograph moments before and after totality be protected through special solar filters. These filters protect camera sensors much like the eclipse glasses protect our eyes. The same applies to any telescopes, binoculars, or similar enlarging/lens-based observation tools.