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Point your smartphone toward the northern sky and take a photograph using Night Mode or a longer exposure. Modern phone cameras are remarkably sensitive in low light and can sometimes detect color that is difficult for human eyes to distinguish.
What looks like a pale gray or whitish patch to you may appear green, pink, or purple in the photograph.
Stability makes a significant difference. Resting your phone against something solid or using a small tripod allows the camera to collect light without introducing as much motion blur.
This is especially useful if you plan to remain outside after the eclipse and try photographing the night sky.
The Most Important Eclipse Rule
There is one rule that matters more than photographs, travel plans, or finding the perfect viewing location.
Never look directly at the bright Sun without appropriate solar viewing protection.
Ordinary sunglasses are not eclipse glasses. Even very dark sunglasses do not provide the specialized protection needed for direct solar viewing.
During the partial phases of the eclipse, viewers should use eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer designed for direct observation of the Sun. Appropriate viewers should comply with the ISO 12312 2 international safety standard.
This rule applies before totality and immediately after totality.
If you are outside the path of totality and will experience only a partial eclipse, appropriate solar viewing protection is required whenever you look directly at the Sun.
The Brief Exception During Totality
For people located inside the path of totality, there is a very short and remarkable exception.
Only when the Moon completely covers the Sun’s bright surface during totality is it safe to view the eclipse without solar viewing glasses. The moment even a small portion of the bright Sun begins to reappear, eye protection must be used again.
This is another reason observers need to know whether their location is actually inside the path of totality.
A location experiencing 99 percent coverage is still experiencing a partial eclipse. It does not have the same unprotected viewing period as true totality.
Cameras, Binoculars and Telescopes Need Their Own Protection
Another common mistake is assuming eclipse glasses can protect your eyes while you look through binoculars, a telescope, or a camera viewfinder.
They cannot.
Magnifying optics concentrate sunlight. Cameras, telescopes, and binoculars used for solar viewing require an appropriate solar filter securely attached to the front of the optical system.
Never point unfiltered magnifying equipment toward the Sun.
If you’re unfamiliar with solar photography, the safest approach may be to enjoy the eclipse visually through approved solar viewers and leave magnified photography to people using equipment specifically configured for solar observation.
No Eclipse Glasses Does Not Mean No Eclipse
Even without eclipse glasses, there are indirect ways to observe the partial phases.
One of the simplest is a pinhole projector. A small opening allows sunlight to project an image of the Sun onto another surface.
You watch the projected image rather than looking through the hole at the Sun.
Nature sometimes creates the same effect automatically. Small gaps between leaves can act as hundreds of tiny pinhole projectors, producing crescent shaped images of the partially eclipsed Sun on the ground.
It can become one of the most surprising details of eclipse day.
Prepare Before August 12
The actual period of totality is short, but eclipse watching can become an hours long experience.
You may arrive early to secure a good viewing location, watch the partial phases develop, experience totality, and then remain outside afterward in hopes of catching aurora activity.
That makes a little preparation worthwhile.
Bring water, suitable clothing, sunscreen for daytime waiting, your approved solar viewers, a charged smartphone, and anything else needed to remain comfortable at your viewing location.
If you’re traveling specifically for totality, identify alternative viewing areas in advance. Cloud cover can change rapidly, and having a backup location could make the difference between watching the eclipse and watching clouds become slightly darker.
Knowledge Helps You Understand the Event. Preparation Helps You Enjoy It Safely.
You do not need an expensive collection of astronomy equipment to appreciate the eclipse. For most people, proper solar viewing protection and a good location are enough.
However, if you’re preparing specifically for August 12, a few practical pieces of equipment can make viewing safer and photography considerably easier.
Solar Eclipse Glasses
The single most important item for direct viewing during the partial phases is appropriate solar viewing protection. Eclipse glasses are designed specifically to reduce the intense visible, ultraviolet, and infrared solar radiation reaching your eyes.
Before using a pair, inspect the lenses carefully. Do not use viewers that are torn, punctured, scratched, or otherwise damaged, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Look for products represented as compliant with the ISO 12312 2 standard rather than assuming that any dark lens marketed online is suitable for solar viewing.