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SALT LAKE CITY — Less than two weeks from now, some people in Southern Utah will have a rare opportunity. They'll be in the "sweet spot" for a spectacular type of solar eclipse, the so-called Ring of Fire. And the view won't be bad from Salt Lake City, either.
But how do you view it without going blind? Every time this topic comes up, some people have a misunderstanding. It's not that an eclipse itself is dangerous; it's always dangerous to stare at the sun. The special danger is that everyone wants to do that during an eclipse.
If you do it right, your eyes will survive and you'll have an experience to remember.
There's a cheap way to look at the eclipse. Clark Planetarium sells specially- made eclipse glasses for $2
"They're so dark, I mean, if you're going to be safe enough to look at sunlight, they're so dark you can't see anything except for the sun," said Seth Jarvis, director of the Clark Planetarium.
There's an expensive way, too. Jarvis covers his telescope with a sun filter. Starting price, $75.
Just before sunset on Sunday May 20, the Moon will slide between us and the sun. The Moon will be a bit too far away to completely cover the sun, resulting in a so-called Ring of Fire.
"I call it the hula-hoop of light," Jarvis said.
Jarvis saidlooking at the sun directly can burn a blind spot into your retina almost instantaneously.
"Most people think that if it doesn't hurt, it's not bad for them. (In) this case, it doesn't hurt and you're going blind. So be careful. "
To see a perfectly centered ring of fire May 20, you have to be on a line from Northern California to Albuquerque. Where it crosses I-15 in Kanarraville, they're planning for thousands of visitors. In a wider zone, the ring of fire will be off center. Outside that zone, in Salt Lake City, you won't see a ring but there will be a crescent of fire.
There is also a cheapest way to get a look at the eclipse. It's a pinhole projector: a cardboard box, a patch of aluminum foil and a pin. You just poke a tiny hole in the aluminum foil that covers a hole in the box. If you do it right, you can project an image of the sun onto a sheet of white paper.
If you have binoculars, you can buy sun filters as well. Number 14 welder's glass will protect you, but regular welding masks are no good. And do not, repeat, do not, use sunglasses.
"Multiple pair of sunglasses don't do it. Getting cute with two pair of polarized lenses that you rotate, that's no good. Don't try and smoke glass," Jarvis said. There's something else you shouldn't do: A rumor is making the rounds that you can watch through a CD or DVD. Jarvis says that's foolish and a good way to wreck your eyes.
Of course there could be plenty of disappointment if it's cloudy on May 20. Here's hoping for clear skies and unobstructed horizons to the West.
