Skywatching
Solar Eclipses: What Happens and How to Watch Safely
Understand partial, annular, and total eclipses, with the essential distinction between solar viewers and telescope filters.
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An alignment with a narrow viewing path
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun and its shadow reaches Earth. Depending on the alignment and apparent sizes, an observer may see a partial eclipse, a total eclipse, or an annular eclipse with a ring of sunlight still exposed.
Your location determines what happens. A total eclipse elsewhere does not mean totality at your observing site. Use a trusted eclipse map and local contact times; a general calendar entry alone cannot tell you whether the Sun will be fully covered.
Protect your eyes and equipment
For direct viewing during partial and annular phases, use undamaged solar viewers that comply with ISO 12312-2, obtained from a trustworthy supplier. Ordinary sunglasses are unsafe. Inspect viewers before use and supervise children. Never assume clouds make direct solar viewing safe.
Do not look through binoculars, a telescope, or a camera while wearing eclipse glasses. Those devices require appropriate solar filters securely fitted over their front apertures. Concentrated sunlight can destroy a handheld viewer and injure your eyes. Follow the instrument manufacturer's solar-observing guidance.
Use a simple observing plan
Indirect projection is an alternative: watch the Sun's projected image on a surface with your back toward the Sun, never look through a pinhole. For a first eclipse, keeping the setup simple leaves more attention for the experience.
Only during the fully covered phase of a total eclipse may viewers within the totality path look directly without solar protection. Protection must return before any bright solar surface reappears. When unsure about the timing or location, keep protection in place and follow NASA's full safety instructions below.