INDIANAPOLIS — With the total solar eclipse less than two weeks away, the director of the Holcomb Observatory at Butler University is hoping to dispel some myths and misconceptions about the safety of this astronomical event.
Myth: It is not safe to be outside during a solar eclipse.
“We want to dispel the myth that somehow eclipses in general aren't safe,” Murphy said. “It is completely safe to be outside during an eclipse. Sunlight is no more dangerous during an eclipse than normally, and what we really don't want people to do is stare at the surface of the sun without proper protection.”
Myth: It is not safe to look at the sun during totality.
“There have been some stories out there saying you can't even look at the sun during totality,” Murphy said. “That is actually one of the untruths out there because that's the magic of this event. Even though you need the protective eyewear for the partial portion of the eclipse, during totality, that's the special time you can look directly at the full or totally eclipsed sun because the sun is totally covered by the moon.”
“A good rule of thumb is to know when to take those eclipse glasses off,” Murphy said. “As we get to that thin crescent, you'll still see it and then a tiny little speck of sunlight shining through one of the valleys on the moon. When you see that no more [the] eclipse classes can come off.”
Myth: This solar eclipse is not a big deal.
“A lot of people think, ‘Well, I saw the 2017 eclipse, big deal, that wasn't that impressive,’” Murphy said. “It was 90% eclipsed, but our eyes really didn't notice it because they're very dynamic devices. This upcoming eclipse, the sun will be nearly 50,000 times dimmer.”
