Solar eclipse: sunglasses are not enough!

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MunichOn March 20, the sun will temporarily darken over Germany. If you want to watch the natural spectacle, you have to protect your eyes particularly - otherwise there is a risk of severe retinal damage. Sunglasses are not enough for this.

The sun's radiance is enormous: it is around 50,000 times stronger than any earthly light source. If the rays fall unfiltered into the eye, they are additionally bundled by the curved cornea and the lens. As if through a magnifying glass, they then hit the retina. Then the visual receptors that sit there burn. In this way, the eyesight can be partially or even completely lost within a very short time.

The tricky thing about a solar eclipse: The sun is much less dazzling than usual, which tempts you to look directly into it. At the same time, their strength is still sufficient to seriously damage the eye. Fatally, you don't notice it at first because the burns don't hurt. By the time the visual impairment becomes apparent, it will be too late.

Observe only with special glasses

Sunglasses do not offer sufficient protection because they allow the harmful rays of the sun to pass through. However, self-made eye protection such as soot-blackened glass panes and even welding goggles are unsuitable. If you want to watch the spectacle in the sky, you should get so-called solar eclipse glasses, which are available for a few euros at the optician or in pharmacies. They let a maximum of 0.001 percent of the sunlight through.

The Federal Center for Radiation Protection recommends paying attention to the following points when purchasing:

• The protective goggles must be labeled as safe for looking directly into the sun in accordance with the applicable EU standards.
• The protective goggles are intact, which means that the film must under no circumstances have scratches, holes or cracks at the transition between the filter film and cardboard.
• The goggles should have extra-wide temples and fit snugly on the face. This prevents too much scattered radiation from getting into the eye.
• Usage and warning notices should be available.

Highly dangerous binoculars

Direct observation of the sun through binoculars, telescopes or cameras is extremely dangerous, warn the experts from the Federal Center for Radiation Protection. These also bundled the sun's rays. Special filter attachments or foils are also available from specialist retailers for such optical devices, which are attached in front of the optics of the corresponding device.

In Germany, on March 20, starting at 9:30 a.m., the moon partially moves in front of the sun. The peak of the eclipse is reached around 10.45 a.m. - a little earlier in the west, a little later in the east. In the north, over 80 percent of the sun is then darkened, in the south more than 60 percent. (cf)

Source: Federal Office for Radiation Protection, accessed on March 18, 2015

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