With the next total solar eclipse coming up on Aug. 12, you still have plenty of time to grab solar viewing gear for getting a better look at it. If you are hosting a solar eclipse party or want to make sure everyone in your family has a chance of observing the sun safely, grabbing a multipack of solar eclipse glasses is a great shout. Whilst they may seem like once-in-a-lifetime events, they happen fairly frequently in astronomical terms and can be predicted thousands of years into the future. We have an annular solar eclipse coming on Feb. 6, 2027 and the ‘eclipse of the century’ coming on Aug. 2, 2027.
Get a six pack of Galaxium solar eclipse glasses, on sale right now for $9.95 at Amazon.
Solar eclipses are beautiful phenomena and I’ve heard that observing one is a truly monumental experience. I have never seen one but I can only imagine how mind-blowing it is to see the lunar disk cover the sun and plunge a portion of the world into shade during the day.
Whilst beautiful, eclipses should be approached with the utmost caution. Looking directly at any portion of the sun during any time of the day can result in severe eye problems and even full-blown solar retinopathy (permanent blind spots). This is why you must always use ISO 12312-2 approved solar eclipse glasses or solar viewing gear from reputable skywatching brands.
You should never look directly at the sun, even during a total solar eclipse, as it can result in permanent blindness. This is why it is important to buy solar viewing gear from reputable brands and look for compliance with the international ISO 12312-2 safety standard. Before using any solar eclipse glasses or viewing gear, you must check for scratches, punctures or tears before use to make sure they are safe. This is where a big multipack comes in handy as repeated use of the same pair of glasses could easily render them unsafe to use in years to come. With Amazon Prime Day in full swing, there are some good deals across solar eclipse glasses and other skwatching gear on our Prime Day hub.
The American Astronomical Society (AAS) publishes and updates a list of reputable suppliers on their site for safe solar viewing gear but you can still get safe viewing equipment that is not listed there, as long as it is compliant with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. Galaxium and Helioclipse are not endorsed by the AAS but they are ISO 12312-2 compliant and have been made recently, so they are less likely to have degraded over time. There have been cases of companies misprinting the ISO standard on their glasses and have caused confusion, so just watch out and double check the ISO standard on every pair for maximum peace of mind. If you are unsure at any point, it is never worth risking your eyesight for. To skip that worry altogether go with an AAS approved manufacturer such as Rainbow Symphony.
Check out our other guides to the best telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors, drones, lego and much more.