Safety is the number one priority when viewing a total solar eclipse.

First things first,  NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN!

“You're most likely to experience eye damage when improperly viewing a partial eclipse, or just before or after a total eclipse,” Dr. Chirag Patel, an ophthalmologist at Union Medical Group said. “It’s literally a burn that occurs on the retina, that once it’s there, is not going to go away and it could potentially leave central black spots in your vision permanently.”

Solar eclipses can be viewed safely, and the rules are simple! Use only ISO-certified-safe solar eclipse glasses. These specialized glasses are up to one thousand times darker than regular sunglasses and work by reducing the amount of sunlight that enters the eye, specifically the harmful ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) radiation that can damage the eye's retina and cause blindness.

“It can happen very quickly – within seconds, you won’t know it’s happening and then the aftereffects can be potentially devastating to your vision,” Dr. Patel explained. “Most of the time, if there is a noticeable change in your vision, it is going to stay there long-term. The frequency of this happening during an eclipse is pretty low, but if it does happen, it’s devastating.” 

Viewing any part of the bright sun, including through a camera lens, binoculars or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter can cause severe eye injury.

During the Eclipse

• View the sun through specialized eclipse glasses during the partial eclipse phases before and after totality.
• You can view the eclipse directly, without proper eye protection, only when the moon completely obscures the sun’s bright face – during the brief period known as totality. You’ll know it’s safe when you can no longer see any part of the sun through eclipse glasses.
• As soon as you see even a little bit of the bright sun reappear after totality, immediately put your eclipse glasses back on.

Fun Facts

• The total solar eclipse visits Terre Haute on April 8, 2024, beginning at 3:04:18 p.m. It will last approximately two minutes and 53 seconds.
• The total solar eclipse visits Indiana on April 8, 2024, beginning at 3:01 p.m. with the final exit of the moon’s shadow from the state at 3:12 pm. 
• The last solar eclipse in Indiana was 819 years ago!
• The 2017 total solar eclipse was the first to touch the "Lower 48" since 1979 and the first to span the U.S. from coast to coast since 1918.
• More than 3.7 million people are expected to travel to witness the 2024 total solar eclipse.
• The next North American total solar eclipse won’t happen until 2033—when it will only be visible in Canada—and then again in 2044, when it will be visible in the contiguous U.S.
• Through Indiana, the speed of the moon’s shadow will accelerate from about 1,700 miles per hour to about 1,850 miles per hour.