How to safely see the solar eclipse in Metro Vancouver on Monday
Posted August 17, 2017 10:52 am.
Last Updated August 17, 2017 11:02 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It’s an event thousands of people are preparing for: the short window of time where the moon will be right in front of the sun Monday morning.
If you can’t make it across the border for the best view, you can still enjoy it here in the Lower Mainland.
Bill Burnyeat with Canadian Planetariums says at around 9 or 9:30am, it’ll seem to get darker, as the moon moves in front of the sun.
Everything will be back to normal by lunchtime, but how can you see it? Burnyeat says a safe way is to use a pinhole camera, which you can make at home. Just make a hole in a cardboard box, cover it with tin foil, and use a needle to make a tiny hole in the foil.
“Point that aperature at the sun and the sun’s light will go through the tiny hole and make a little, tiny picture of the sun on the back of the cardboard box,” he explains.
“Any place where you have a clear view of the sky is best. There’s really no problem with street lights or anything like that.”
He warns you could cause some real damage to your eyes if you look directly at the eclipse, so you should leave the binoculars at home.
