Another day, another silly "elf and safety" story. With a solar eclipse due to darken much of Europe for a few minutes tomorrow morning, school chiefs are reportedly planning to keep pupils indoors during the event so as to protect the children's eyes.
One ring to rule them all...
As usual, the newspapers have painted this as a case of 'health and safety gone mad', but in fairness to the school workers in question, solar eclipses can be very harmful. The sun's rays can damage human eyesight even during an eclipse, and it's important to note that only the northernmost parts of Europe will experience a full eclipse tomorrow - the rest of us will still be able to see part of the sun. In some ways, looking at the eclipsed sun is actually more hazardous than looking straight at the sun on a normal day, because your body's natural reactions (squinting, looking away) won't kick in due to the darkness.
Still, this doesn't necessarily mean that Britain's schoolchildren should be robbed of this opportunity (which, after all, doesn't come along every year). Instead, here are a few quick safety tips for tomorrow's eclipse - remember, health and safety is here to keep you safe, not to ruin your fun!
- Know the dangers. Staring at the sun (even during a total eclipse) can cause irreversible damage to human eyes, scorching the retinas and potentially triggering a variety of ocular disorders and even blindness. If you are taking children outside to enjoy the eclipse, make it clear to them that looking straight at the sun is dangerous, and be sure to explain what may happen if they try it.
- Don't look at the sun (even with sunglasses on!) No commercially-available pair of sunglasses will be sufficient to protect your eyes from direct contact with the sun's rays, so don't even try it. Of course, you can buy special eclipse glasses that are specifically designed for eclipse viewings, but be sure to buy with caution - there's no way to guarantee that every pair of so-called 'eclipse glasses' will actually protect your eyes.
- Make a pinhole camera. This is a time-honoured way to view solar eclipses safely, and it can double as a fun craft project for children. Simply take a piece of cardboard and poke a pin-sized hole in the centre; then, during the eclipse, hold your card up to the sun (remember not to look!) and hold another piece of cardboard underneath. A vision of the eclipse will be projected onto the second piece of card, allowing you to watch as it happens.
- Steer clear of selfies! This is one "elf and safety" warning that's totally justified - many experts are concerned that people will try to take 'selfies' during the eclipse and, in doing so, inadvertently glance up at the sun. We recommend that you stay safe and hold your selfies until afterwards!
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