Eclipse Whisperer

Eclipse Whisperer

Eye safety: what NASA and the AAS advise

Eclipse Whisperer does not give eye-safety advice. Below are the recommendations of NASA and the American Astronomical Society, quoted from their websites, with links to the full guidance.

NASA

"Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing."

"Eclipse glasses are NOT regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, are not safe for viewing the Sun. Safe solar viewers are thousands of times darker and ought to comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard."

"As soon as you see even a little bit of the bright Sun reappear after totality, immediately put your eclipse glasses back on or use a handheld solar viewer to look at the Sun."

Source: NASA eye safety page.

American Astronomical Society

"After looking at the Sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the Sun."

"If you are inside the path of totality, remove your solar filter only when the Moon completely covers the Sun’s bright face and it suddenly gets quite dark."

Source: AAS eye safety page.

Read the full guidance

Eclipse times

The total phase in Tarifa lasts 4 min 39 s from 10:45:09, and in Luxor it lasts 6 min 21 s from 13:02:08. In Tarifa the whole eclipse, from the first bite to the last, runs from 09:41 to 12:01, about 2 h 20 min, and in Luxor from 11:40 to 14:27. Your town's page gives the exact times.