Re:Eclipses and Decibels
by Stratoscope on Monday August 28, 2017 @03:49PM
(#15119507)
Finally, someone who knows the truth!
Indeed, at the end of totality in the 1979 eclipse, I kept looking at the diamond ring and Baily's beads for a second or two with my binoculars. It did not damage my vision at all.
In the weeks leading up to this year's eclipse, I almost felt like it was my civic duty to correct some of the misinformation that was going around in the media. I had a feeling that many thousands of people who went to considerable trouble and expense to go to the path of totality would miss it entirely, because they got scared into keeping their eclipse glasses on the whole time.
There was such a fear campaign going on, just like the one in 1979 when Oregon schools changed their hours to keep the children indoors during totality.
The gentleman in the report did unfortunately damage his vision by staring at the 1963 partial eclipse - for 20 seconds! Truly a sad thing, but in the video they kept talking about the dangers of staring at a partial eclipse, while showing photos of a total eclipse - as if there was no difference between the two!
I tried to set the record straight in the comments, but man, it was an uphill battle. Read the comments and weep...
Indeed, at the end of totality in the 1979 eclipse, I kept looking at the diamond ring and Baily's beads for a second or two with my binoculars. It did not damage my vision at all.
In the weeks leading up to this year's eclipse, I almost felt like it was my civic duty to correct some of the misinformation that was going around in the media. I had a feeling that many thousands of people who went to considerable trouble and expense to go to the path of totality would miss it entirely, because they got scared into keeping their eclipse glasses on the whole time.
There was such a fear campaign going on, just like the one in 1979 when Oregon schools changed their hours to keep the children indoors during totality.
This TV report was a good example:
http://www.kptv.com/story/36143862/portland-man-shares-warni...
The gentleman in the report did unfortunately damage his vision by staring at the 1963 partial eclipse - for 20 seconds! Truly a sad thing, but in the video they kept talking about the dangers of staring at a partial eclipse, while showing photos of a total eclipse - as if there was no difference between the two!
I tried to set the record straight in the comments, but man, it was an uphill battle. Read the comments and weep...