How does the solar eclipse
effect our eye??
No one has yet given the real reason. It is because UV radiation from
the sun (the frequency of light that does the most damage to your eyes) does
not significantly diminish during an eclipse. So when you look at the sun when
it is much more dim (like during an eclipse), your eyes are more dilated and
you let in MUCH more damaging UV radiation, and because the sun appears more
dim, it seems more comfortable to look at it for prolonged periods.
Through a telescope, you will cause blindness. Looking for prolonged periods
with the naked eye will cause temporary color blindness, color blindness and
then blindness and cataracts.
You can look at the sun through a telescope that has a special "solar
filter" attached to the lens. You can also use the "camera obscura"
trick - poke a small pin hole in a sheet of aluminum foil and hold it away from
a sheet of paper out in the sunlight. When it's in focus, you can see sun spots
and eclipses.
You can also aim the eyepiece of your telescope at a sheet of paper on the
ground and it will create a really nice projection of the sun's image on the
paper... just don't look through the telescope to align it with the sun!!! Some
telescopes have a white viewing card that attaches to your telescope for this
very purpose.
Why do people
want to see the solar eclipse at all? I mean, common people like us, and risk
permanent damage to our retinas? Can’t we wait for the astronomers to capture
the phenomenon with their sophisticated equipment so that we can see the
recorded version of the awesome sight without any harm?
If you look at
the sun (eclipse or no eclipse) for more than a second, it can damage your
eyes. During an eclipse it is even more dangerous because you tend to see for a
longer period. The damage to your retina (lens in your eye) will be serious and
permanent. Imagine burning a paper with a magnifying glass by focusing sunrays
on it. That’s exactly what will happen to your retina when you look at
the sun.
As your retinas
cannot feel pain (there are no pain receptors in them), you will not know what
is happening to them. The sunlight need not even bright to cause damage. You
will not notice any difference for several hours. But the damage to your eyes
will be there as long as you live.
We never think
of looking at the sun on a normal day because it is too bright! Then, why look
now? I think it is only an idle curiosity that leads people to such events and
probably a sense of importance that they have witnessed something of great
significance. Man needs variety to break the monotony of his life and such
events are welcome.
