Tips for Viewing the Solar Eclipse

I am so excited to see the solar eclipse this next Monday, August 21st. Once I learned early this summer that Kansas City was going to be in the complete path of totality, I started researching how to view it safely. Here are my tips for viewing the solar eclipse without burning your eyes!

Where to watch

I’ll be on campus the day of the eclipse because it’s the first day of school, but my campus will have several viewing events! A good way to find local eclipse viewing parties in your area is to go on Facebook and search ‘your city eclipse viewing party.’ Just by searching ‘Kansas City eclipse viewing party,’ I found two events right away! Some of the events require payment to get in and require you to purchase the glasses.

I would recommend that you attend an event so you know when to remove your glasses. During the two minutes of complete totality, you’ll remove your solar glasses and watch the sun. However, if you just plan to view it on your own, you may miss it or accidentally end up burning your eyes.

If you’re looking to not pay and find glasses near you easily, then a great place to look is your nearest college campus. My school is hosting two events with different departments that I know of, and I’m sure there’s several more happening! If you happen to be a local reader of my blog, here’s the event I’ll be attending put on by my design department. I’d love to see you there!

Where to find the glasses

The most important part of viewing the solar eclipse safely is having the protective glasses on. Warby Parker, an eyeglasses and sunglasses company, is giving away the eclipse glasses for free. Here’s a list of all the Warby Parker locations near you. It was so easy to stop in and pick up my glasses. (It was so funny to try them on and take pictures- you seriously can’t see a thing with them!)

If you don’t have a Warby Parker location by you, you can look at your local library. There are also several glasses listed on Amazon–just make sure you read the reviews to make sure you get a safe pair. Do not try to make your own or just wear plain sunglasses, or you could literally go blind! I would advise getting a pair of glasses for viewing the eclipse beforehand, so you don’t have to worry about a viewing party running out of them.

Other Viewing Essentials

The complete eclipse will last for up to three hours, so plan on getting there fairly early before the eclipse instead of just showing up when the total eclipse is supposed to occur. Complete totality lasts for only two minutes, so you’ll want to be in the right position and ready to view it right when it happens. Since it’ll happen for so long, why not bring some snacks? I found some fun recipes, but you can always go with the prepackaged classics as well. If you’re feeling creative, this galaxy bark would be a delicious addition to any viewing party. Sun Chips, Moon Pies and Milky Ways are also fun ways to keep the space theme going.

A lawn chair would also be a good thing to have handy while you’re waiting for the eclipse to begin. If you want to try your hand at solar eclipse photography, a camera is also an option. Here’s an article about how to photograph it– but be warned, if you’re not advanced at knowing your camera’s settings already then I’d advise you just sit back and watch. You could miss it so easily, and unless you start traveling across the world to view other eclipses, then it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. I plan on taking on a video throughout the day and of my reaction to it, but I don’t want to miss the moment.

Thanks for reading!

xo, Hannah

This post is not sponsored.

Sources:

US Department of the Interior Blog
NASA Eclipse Blog
Protect Your Eyes During Solar Eclipse – Kansas City Star
Warby Parker Eclipse Blog