Eclipse coming Monday
For many, next Monday will be remembered for a lifetime.
A total solar eclipse will be seen in several states. A partial eclipse will be seen in Montgomery County, but residents who want to see the total eclipse will have to travel to cities in Missouri or Nebraska, as less than a mile of Iowa, located south of Hamburg, is in the path of the total solar eclipse.
In Missouri, the total eclipse can be seen in: Arnold, Ballwin, Blue Springs, Cameron, Cape Girardeau, Chesterfield, Clayton, Columbia, Crestwood, Creve Coeur, Excelsior Springs, Farmington, Fulton, Gladstone, Hoover, Independence, Jackson, Jefferson City, Kansas City, Kirkwood, Liberty, Marshall, Mexico, Moberly, Perryville, Sedalia, St. Joseph, Sullivan, Town & Country, Washington, and Webster Groves.
Multiple cities in Nebraska are also in the path of the total solar eclipse: Alliance, Auburn, Aurora, Beatrice, Bridgeport, Broken Bow, Central City, Cozad, Crete, Ellsworth, Fairbury, Falls City, Geneva, Gothenburg, Grand Island, Hastings, Hebron, Hemingford, The Homestead National Monument, Kearney, Lexington, Lincoln, North Platte, Peru, Scottsbluff, Stapleton, Tecumseh, Tryon, Wymore, and York.
Communities in all the states in the path of the total eclipse have been making plans and organizing special events, as the last total solar eclipse viewable in the U.S. took place nearly four decades ago, in 1979. The total eclipse hasn’t been viewed in the state of Iowa since 1954.
Fremont County, the only one in Iowa in which the total eclipse will be viewable – in the far southwestern corner – also is inviting tourists.
Optometrists’ advice
While excitement is building for a rare opportunity to see this unique event, Red Oak optometrist Dr. Michael Portz is advising that you need to be cautious viewing the eclipse, especially with the naked eye, or risk potential eye damage.
“You can sunburn the back of your eye looking directly at the sun. When you look straight ahead, you’re looking using the macular area of your eye, the center of your vision. It can lead to a scar, and if it scars, it can result in permanent vision loss, blurred vision, or spots in your vision. We’re doing our best to warn people about that,” Portz said.
The risk factor is particularly great in our area, as only a tiny portion of Iowa is in the total eclipse band. According to Portz, even a brief look can cause sunburn to your eyes.
“Even looking at it for a few seconds can cause sunburn. Also, using regular sunglasses that are polarized aren’t going to work. They won’t provide the protection you need from the sun’s radiation,” commented Portz.
Portz said anyone who wants to look directly at the sun needs to wear eclipse glasses or some other sort of protection.
“We’ve been selling the eclipse glasses, and they’re available in other areas of Red Oak. In our area, you have to have these glasses in order to look directly at the sun during the partial eclipse.”
Portz added he has sold out of the glasses, and is not sure he’ll be able to get more before the eclipse event. While glasses are available at other stores, Portz said you need to make sure they’re providing proper protection.
“I’ve read in a couple of blogs that there are some glasses that don’t pass the government standards, so make sure your glasses are marked to say they have passed ISO standards before using them to look at the eclipse.”
For those without the glasses, there’s one other form of eye protection that can be used.
“If you’re a welder, or know a welder who has a welders mask or glasses that are a 12 or a 14 filter, they can be used to look directly at the sun,” Portz advised.
Some of the other ways to view the eclipse will be fun projects you can do with kids.
“You can make a pinhole camera. I’ve seen people use a cereal box and tinfoil, or a paper plate, and poke a hole in it the size of a pencil point. But make sure your back is to the sun when you use either method, as these projects are for indirect viewing only,” advised Portz.
For anyone using binoculars or a telescope to get an even closer look at the eclipse, Portz said protecting your eyes was a must.
“It’s the worst thing you can do without eye protection. Both concentrate the light into your eye. You can use them, but not without eye protection or the appropriate solar filter,” said Portz.
With high quality cameras on most people’s cell phones, many people may be tempted to take a selfie of themselves with the solar eclipse. Portz said taking that selfie could be a risk.
“I’ve seen reports that the sun’s radiation may damage the optics of your camera. And the high contrast may over expose your picture. If you’re going to try for a selfie, you’re potentially risking damaging that camera phone,” Portz stated.
While the solar eclipse glasses are selling out in anticipation of the eclipse, Portz said he will have a small amount of eclipse glasses available for people to borrow to view the eclipse by visiting his office at 1409 N. 2nd St. in Red Oak the day of the eclipse.
Experts predict the next solar eclipse viewable in Iowa is April 8, 2014.