How to view the 2017 solar eclipse in Brooklyn and where to get those crucial eclipse glasses

Plus: An awesome Brooklyn physics teacher explains why eclipses are important

August 15, 2017 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

To view this Monday’s solar eclipse, you must wear special ISO approved glasses. Shown: Emmalyn Johnson, 3, tries on her free pair of eclipse glasses at Mauney Memorial Library in Kings Mountain, N.C. on Wednesday. Brittany Randolph/The Star via AP

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Eclipse mania is building across the country, and though New Yorkers will not experience the full eclipse, we won’t be left out. Expect the sidewalks to be filled with bespectacled spectators staring up past the skyscrapers (or, in the case of Brooklyn, luxury towers) to catch a glimpse of one of nature’s most awesome occurrences.

On the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 21, the moon will pass between the Earth and the sun, completely blocking out the sun for about three minutes in a narrow strip stretching from Salem, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. (In New York City, the eclipse begins at 1:23 p.m., peaks at 2:44 p.m. and ends at 4 p.m.)

For those in this strip, day will turn into night. New York, however, is not in what astronomers call the “path of totality,” so we will experience a partial eclipse. For us, the moon will cover 71 percent of the Sun. Day will turn into … a bit darker day, during which the black arc of the moon will eat away three quarters of the brilliant sun.

The catch? You must wear special ISO-approved eclipse glasses (aka eclipse shades) to watch the event. Looking directly at the sun when it is not 100 percent blocked by the moon can damage the retinas of your eyes before you even have a chance to turn away.

According to the American Astronomical Society (AAS), ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not in the least bit safe for looking at the sun. Nor should you attempt to look at the sun through an unfiltered camera, cellphone or telescope. (These devices require special filters as well.)

Where to find eclipse glasses

If you haven’t ordered your eclipse viewing glasses by now (like, today), you may be out of luck. Many vendors approved by the American Astronomical Society (the glasses must be ISO compliant) have sold out.

If you hurry you may still find a pair — but since some bogus glasses are for sale, buy only from these approved vendors: https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters

Brooklyn Eagle staffers had luck at the American Paper Optics company, where glasses in batches of 25 were still available on Tuesday. Most of the other sites we tried were sold out, though some expected future deliveries. (If you want to try a local retail outlet, Toys “R” Us and Best Buy were on the list for walk-ins.) Amazon is offering refunds to those who bought glasses through their website, since some of them were found to be ineffective.

Some public libraries have also obtained eclipse glasses for use during educational programming. One on the list is the Clinton Hill branch in Brooklyn, which will be hosting a watch party where all ages will make pinhole viewers (another option) and youngsters will decorate the sidewalk with chalk drawings of planets or constellations.

A spokesperson for the American Museum of Natural History told the Eagle that, while the museum is currently sold out of the glasses, he expects another “limited” shipment before the eclipse. They will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

The museum, which has a full afternoon of programming planned, starting at noon — including a live NASA broadcast of the event at the Rose Center for Earth and Space — has plotted out two strategies for watching the eclipse.

For maximum drama: Spend a good deal of time outside until the partial eclipse is about to begin at 1:23 p.m. Then go inside until just before the peak time—2:44 p.m.—is about to be reached. Step outside then, and you should immediately notice the difference.

Or, using proper eclipse glasses, stay out and watch the moon gradually overtake the sun and then pass it by until the partial eclipse ends around 4 p.m.

If you can’t get hold of eclipse glasses, the go-to solution is building a cardboard pinhole projector. NASA tell you how to do that here: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/how-make-pinhole-projector-view-solar-eclips

Cool Brooklyn physics teacher explains why eclipses are important

Popular Brooklyn physics teacher — and NASA-certified solar eclipse expert — Josh Winter, who teaches middle and high schoolers at BASIS Independent Brooklyn, says eclipses are one of the ways that ancient people first realized that the motions of the moon, sun, and other objects in the night sky followed patterns and that you could predict those patterns if you watched carefully enough.

In addition, eclipses have offered astronomers a chance to see details about the sun’s atmosphere and the effects of its gravity on things like starlight passing close to it, Winter says. (A video of Winter’s infamous cinderblock demonstration, bowling ball pendulum swing and exploding balloon fire display can be viewed at http://blog.basisindependent.com/bklyn/world-science-festival-winter .)

School is out for the summer, but teachers training at BASIS plan to walk outside with their eclipse glasses on Monday to view the eclipse and take a group selfie, says school spokesperson Jo Goldfarb.

This is the last time a total solar eclipse will affect the continental United States until April 8, 2024, when northern New York State — i.e., Buffalo — will experience a full eclipse. (This eclipse will only be viewable in the northeast, however.)