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Household items you can use for viewing the solar eclipse if you don't have glasses

You need special glasses to view a solar eclipse directly, but if you don't have any, here's what you can use to see it indirectly.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — It's Solar Eclipse day in America! To view the eclipse directly, you need special glasses. Otherwise, it could hurt your eyes. But if you don't have special solar eclipse glasses, there are ways to still see the eclipse indirectly with simple household items. 

1. Make a pinhole projector. This is the classic one. You poke a hole through some paper, hold it up, and view the light on the sidewalk. You will see the crescent shape!

Credit: WFMY
A simple piece of paper with holes can help you view the solar eclipse indirectly as well.

2. Pasta strainer! The tiny holes of a colander make a good projector. Hold it up to let the sun pass through and look at the little dots of light projected onto the ground. There will be crescents. 

Credit: WFMY
Use a colander for viewing the solar eclipse.

3. Shadows under trees! The leaves make little projectors and you’ll see crescents. 

Credit: WFMY
View the shadows under the trees to see the solar eclipse too!

4. Ritz cracker or saltine cracker! Anything with tiny holes will project the crescent. 

Credit: WFMY
Use a Ritz or saltine cracker to view the crescent shape through the holes.

Here in Greensboro, the partial solar eclipse starts around 2 p.m., peaks around 3:15 p.m., and ends by 4:30 p.m. Happy viewing! 

How to view the eclipse if you don’t have eclipse glasses! *Disclaimer, you can’t look at the sun. Don’t look at the...

Posted by Meteorologist Tim Buckley on Sunday, April 7, 2024

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