Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you know that North America is going to be witnessing an amazing event – a total solar eclipse. Everyone I know has been freaking out about it on social media and for good reason – we have not had one of these in North America since the late 1970s!
What you need to know about the eclipse
The great North American Solar Eclipse of 2017 will occur on August 21st, 2017. There has not been an observable total solar eclipse in this area since 1979. It truly is a special event which is why there is so much attention being given to it.
Even though a lot of us has never seen an eclipse in person, we all know what it looks like. From our vantage point, the moon completes engulfs the sun and the sky gets dark due to the lack of sunlight. This is due to the orbits of the sun, moon, and Earth. You can imagine that your social media feeds will be flooded with pictures of this rare event – much more than the last one in 1979 when social media did not exist and many people did not have cameras.
Not everyone in North America will get the same view, though. There is a stretch of states, known as the path of totality, that spans from the Northwest to the Southeast USA. People who live in these states will get the best view of the eclipse, as they will get to see the total eclipse. The rest of us in North America (and even some of our European neighbors) will only get to see a partial eclipse. The partial eclipse is not as beautiful, but it is still a sight worth seeing – given how rare these events are in the first place. And of course, we are in the age of the internet which means there are plenty of places to see the event live if you do not feel like going outside or you do not live in North America.
You may have heard people on social media and on the news telling you that you should not look directly at the sun during the eclipse without wearing special eclipse goggles. And they are right. That is only one safety precaution you can take though. There are some others.
How To View The Solar Eclipse Safely
Let’s take a look:
Grab a pair of eclipse goggles
This is not just a scheme to sucker gullible people on social media to purchase useless goggles (although phonies are being sold – make sure to only buy from trusted brands). It really is dangerous to stare at the sun during an eclipse. It can and will blind you if you are not wearing goggles. The only time when it is safe to look at the sun without goggles is when the sun is completely covered by the moon. And only folks in the path of totality will be able to do this and this phase does not last much longer than a minute. If you care about keeping your vision, you will definitely want to grab a pair of eclipse goggles. And no, sunglasses will not suffice.
Watch out for phony eclipse goggles
Yeah, there are rotten people out there trying to con other people into buying fraudulent eclipse goggles. Make sure you check the brand and check the reviews before purchasing a pair. The best kinds to get are ones that have met the ISO 12312-2 global safety standards.
Eat some veggies
Alright, so this is more of a health tip than a safety precaution, but it is relevant to the eclipse. How? Because eating specific vegetables such as kale, tomatoes, and pumpkin contain what are known as carotenoids, which boost your eye health and function. This is by no means a substitute for wearing eclipse goggles, though.
Be a hippie for a day
Okay, do not take this one too literally. There are many aspects of the hippie lifestyle that you should not try. However, they did get one thing right and that was walking around barefoot. I know that you germaphobes and clean freaks who are reading this are probably cringing right now, but this eclipse is a great time to try. Walking around outside barefoot has actually been proven to relieve stress and relieve muscle pain. It also energizes you during the day and leads to you getting a better night’s sleep. You know what they say – don’t knock it ‘til you try it!
Do not stay inside
Look, lots of people are going to be outside for this special event. People you have never met and may never get a chance to meet again. Why stay inside? Social interaction is good for your health and it can lead to new relationships that would not have been realized otherwise. Do not waste this opportunity to go outside and make some new friends while watching an extraordinary spatial event.
Soak up some sun
This ties in with the above tip. Do not just go outside for the duration of the eclipse. Go out before it if it is a sunny clear day outside. Spend some time outside after the eclipse too once the sun re-emerges. A lot of people do not go outside enough and end up with being vitamin D deficient. This can lead to a multitude of health issues including eczema, depression, and a dysfunctional immune system.
Conclusion
The great North American solar eclipse of 2017 is not a once in a lifetime event. However, it is still a special and rare event that you do not want to miss. Be sure to take note of all of the tips that I explained above so that you can get the most out of this event without damaging your health. I have one last tip that has nothing to do with your health and safety – make sure to get out there and take lots of pictures!
