Where to Buy Solar Eclipse Glasses Last Minute
Grab your certified sun-safe glasses before they sell out
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On April 8, a narrow band of the country will find itself with front-row seats to view an ever-elusive total solar eclipse. In the moment, the moon, Earth, and sun will align in near-perfect succession and the skies will darken as the moon passes in front of the sun and obscures the view of it entirely. Observers in cities spanning from Dallas to Cleveland and up to Caribou, Maine, will find themselves in the path of totality, while the rest of us will be able to relish in a glimpse of the phenomenon.
As you’ve no doubt heard, you can’t watch this astronomical anomaly with the naked eye, or even with sunglasses. The sun’s rays are too intense for your retina to handle, and looking directly at even the partially obscured sun can cause permanent damage to your eyesight.
The only time it’s safe to look directly at the eclipse is during the 1 or 2 minutes that the moon completely blocks the sun, and only those in the path of totality will witness that. At all other moments, and for all those watching the partial eclipse from elsewhere in the U.S., you’ll need to protect your eyes.
Similar to the last solar eclipse, we’re already seeing great demand for these glasses, especially as we get closer to the event. If you plan on partaking in the viewing, we strongly suggest grabbing a pair of eclipse glasses before Monday.
When ordering solar eclipse glasses online, be sure that both the vendor and the glasses’ manufacturer are included on the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) list of approved glasses sellers and makers. Some sites are selling counterfeit eclipse glasses that may not protect your eyes.
To help you get started, we rounded up a number of options you can grab today.
Solar Eclipse Glasses You Can Buy Right Now
Land Sea & Sky Solar Eclipse Glasses, (5-pack)
Lunt Solar Premium Eclipse Glasses (5-pack)
Soluna Solar Eclipse Glasses (2-pack)
If You Can't Get Glasses
If you’re unable to secure glasses online, stop by your local Warby Parker. The eyewear retailer is giving away ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses at all of its stores, while supplies last.
For those who are unable to secure a set, don’t fret. You can DIY a pinhole camera—a device that passes light through a small hole and projects an image of the sun onto a surface—for the viewing instead.
And if you still have your glasses from the last solar eclipse in 2017, you may reuse them. According to the AAS, if your glasses fit the "ISO 12312-2 safety standard, and if their filters aren’t scratched, punctured, torn, coming loose from the frame, or otherwise damaged, you may reuse them indefinitely."
If You Can't Go Outside for the Solar Eclipse
You can live stream the eclipse as it happens, on April 8, 2024. NASA’s live stream will include views of the eclipse from satellites, high-altitude balloons, and telescopes.
