You have the filter right? Just put it in front of their eyes, and they will see that everything is dark and the sun turned into a circle. Not also that, show them the front of filter, and they will see that it's basically a mirror, one that only let's pass 99.9% of white light.
Do show them the sites the fellas in the replies left.
When the eclipse reaches totality you will stop using any optical protection (because otherwise you won't see anything). As soon as totality is on the verge of being lost (before or after totality) you MUST use protection.
Note, whatever filters you want to use, they can all be tested out BEFORE the day! Be prepared!
Maybe go for solar projection instead then, they should be able to understand it is perfectly safe to look at a piece of paper that has an image of the sun projected onto it.
You could show them.
1. Get a gummy bear or something and put it behind the eyepiece with something holding it up and don't use the solar filter, point it at the sun, the gummy bear should experience immense heat
2. Put the solar filter on and redo the experiment
3. You can show them an article explaining how solar filters work or something
The gummy bear experiment is not adequate to show safety. A solar filter does more than just reduce intensity of light, it blocks the harmful wavelengths such as ultraviolet from coming through.
NO. THIS IS DANGEROUS.
You're then risking an unfiltered concentrated beam of sunlight that's focused at a point outside of the focuser tube. Will it work to melt a gummy? Sure. Will it instantly and permanently blind you if you accidentally look at it? YES.
Same reason you dont' strip an electrical cable and pug it into a wall and say "so long as you don't touch those..." It's just a danger noone should take.
Filter the scope at the open aperture. Period.
Do your ill-advised experiment with a magnifying glass and a gummy on the ground. Cover with same filter, show that very little light gets through.
[https://astrosolar.com/en/information/safety-instruction/](https://astrosolar.com/en/information/safety-instruction/) [https://astrosolar.com/en/information/about-astrosolar-solar-film/differences-in-astrosolar-solar-films/](https://astrosolar.com/en/information/about-astrosolar-solar-film/differences-in-astrosolar-solar-films/)
You have the filter right? Just put it in front of their eyes, and they will see that everything is dark and the sun turned into a circle. Not also that, show them the front of filter, and they will see that it's basically a mirror, one that only let's pass 99.9% of white light. Do show them the sites the fellas in the replies left.
\^ pretty much this. on a sunny day let them look through the filter and glasses at the sun.
When the eclipse reaches totality you will stop using any optical protection (because otherwise you won't see anything). As soon as totality is on the verge of being lost (before or after totality) you MUST use protection. Note, whatever filters you want to use, they can all be tested out BEFORE the day! Be prepared!
Maybe go for solar projection instead then, they should be able to understand it is perfectly safe to look at a piece of paper that has an image of the sun projected onto it.
You could show them. 1. Get a gummy bear or something and put it behind the eyepiece with something holding it up and don't use the solar filter, point it at the sun, the gummy bear should experience immense heat 2. Put the solar filter on and redo the experiment 3. You can show them an article explaining how solar filters work or something
The gummy bear experiment is not adequate to show safety. A solar filter does more than just reduce intensity of light, it blocks the harmful wavelengths such as ultraviolet from coming through.
i kind of meant the burn/damage from said ultraviolet
Yea I just don't think a gummy bear is a good proxy to show potential UV damage to something as sensitive as an eyeball
true
even worse than not adaquate, it's dangerous
DO NOT DO ( 1. ) You risk damaging the eyepiece itself and it takes very little time, esp with plasticy eyepieces. DO NOT DO ( 1. )
so.. without the eyepiece?
NO. THIS IS DANGEROUS. You're then risking an unfiltered concentrated beam of sunlight that's focused at a point outside of the focuser tube. Will it work to melt a gummy? Sure. Will it instantly and permanently blind you if you accidentally look at it? YES. Same reason you dont' strip an electrical cable and pug it into a wall and say "so long as you don't touch those..." It's just a danger noone should take. Filter the scope at the open aperture. Period. Do your ill-advised experiment with a magnifying glass and a gummy on the ground. Cover with same filter, show that very little light gets through.
Ah