THE Department of Public Health is warning the public not to directly look at the annular solar eclipse tomorrow morning to avoid permanent eye damages including blindness.
It is not safe to look at an eclipse using one or two pairs of sunglasses, binoculars or telescopes.
Other items that are also unsafe to use, according to Public Health, are color photographic film, black and white film that does not have a silver emulsion layer, smoked glass and polarizing filters for cameras.
Dr. Richard Brostrom, medical director of public health, yesterday said at no time during this annular eclipse will it be safe to look at the sun.
“Looking at an eclipse for even one minute or less without eye protection can cause permanent eye damage including blindness,” Brostrom told Variety.
Brostrom said a popular method of safely viewing the eclipse indirectly is by using a pinhole projection method. (See illustration)
This is done by simply punching a small hole, or pinhole, through the side of a box and allow the image of the sun to be cast against the other side of the box. The box needs to be at least 18 inches long.
There are only two places in the world where the annular solar eclipse could be best seen—Sulawesi in Indonesia and Tinian.
The extreme southern tip of Saipan will also see the ring of sunlight.
Guam, Palau and Yap will experience partial solar eclipse.
“While everyone is encouraged to enjoy this celestial event, the CNMI Department of Public Health strongly urges the public to view the eclipse safely,” said Brostrom.
Dr. David Khorram of Marianas Eye Institute echoed Public Health’s advisory, and called on for adult supervision of children at all times during the eclipse.
He said persons may view the sun directly only through a special filter made for safe solar viewing.
Khorram, the only certified ophthalmologist in the CNMI, said if a person is not certain a filter is approved and safe or if he has any other doubts, he should not use it.
“Hold the special filter firmly over both your eyes ‘before’ looking up at the sun, and don’t remove it until ‘after’ looking away. The sun should look quite dim and the sky should be completely black. If this is not the case, then do not use the filter,” he said.
He urged careful reading and following of the solar filter manufacturer’s instructions. One should also ensure the filter has a “CE” mark approved for direct solar viewing.
“Be alert for forgeries. Check filters carefully for any damage. Do not use filters if they are scuffed, scratched or have holes in them,” he warned.
Khorram said experts recommend using welder’s goggles that are rated 14 or higher.
“The highest rated welder’s goggles I have been able to find on the island are rated 11. These are not safe to view the eclipse directly,” Khorram said.
According to the University of Guam Planetarium, the edge of the moon will first intersect the sun tomorrow at 7:01 a.m. or about an hour after sunrise.
The time of the maximum eclipse will be at 8:09 a.m.
There will be only a thin arc of sunlight below and to the right of the moon. The moon will continue to move downward toward the horizon from our point of view and it will leave the sun’s face entirely at 9:29 a.m.
Brostrom said once an individual accidentally looks at the sun, he will not feel any pain but the eyesight may already be gone.
There is no medical treatment so far discovered to bring back people’s lost eyesight due to staring at an eclipse.
“The damage is painless but permanent. There’s nothing we can do about it so it is very important that people should not look at the sun directly,” said Brostrom in an interview.
Unlike Guam, the CNMI does not have its own planetarium, so residents and tourists here have to follow Public Health’s guidelines for their own safety, said Brostrom.
The eclipse, according to Brostrom, can be viewed directly with the use of welder’s filters of at least shade #14. Local stores carry these filters, but not in shade #14.
“Enjoy this very special natural event, but do so wisely. Please make sure you take the necessary precautions to view the eclipse safely,” said Brostrom.
One of the safest ways to view the sun requires only a long box that is at least 6 ft. long, a piece of aluminum foil, a pin, and a sheet of white paper.
Cut a hole in the center of one end of the box. Tape a piece of foil over the hole. Poke a small hole in the foil with pin.
Cut a viewing hole in the side of the box. Put a piece of white paper inside the end of the box near the viewing portal.
Point the end of the box with the pinhole at the sun so that you see a round image on the paper at the other end. If you are having trouble pointing, look at the shadow of the box on the ground. Move the box so that the shadow looks like the end of the box.
The round spot of light you see on the paper is a pinhole image of the sun. Do not look through the pinhole at the sun. Look only at the image on the paper.
Another safe and easier method is to use only two pieces of cardboard—one piece colored white to project on to, and the other with a pinhole. Hold up the pinhole as far from the screen as you can. The farther you are from the screen, the bigger your image.
In tomorrow’s celestial event, the sun’s disc will be 98 percent covered by the moon.
This eclipse, according to the University of Guam’s Planetarium, will not be a total eclipse but an annular eclipse. “Annular” is derived from the Latin word for ring. Even when the moon is directly between the earth and the sun, there is a “ring” of sunlight around the moon.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes directly between the earth and the sun, and blocks the sun’s light from shining on a narrow path on the earth’s surface.
The moon is about 2,000 miles across and the sun is over 800,000 miles across. The moon can block the sun’s light only because it’s much closer to us than the sun.
Even a year before the solar annular eclipse, the Marianas Visitors Authority and private tourism-related businesses have already been preparing for the event.
According to MVA, the fact that the Northern Marianas is one of the only two places in the world with the best view of the June 11 eclipse will bring in more tourists to either Tinian or Saipan.
Local tourism officials are urging the general public and local tour group operators to contact MVA for reservation of tour sites.
MVA is currently coordinating the reservation of all tour sites on Saipan and Tinian to ensure that enthusiasts looking to witness the event avoid overcrowding in any particular tourist site.
A sunrise cruise by a cruise ship business will also be sailing tomorrow for tourists and residents to get the best view and experience of the celestial event.
Tom Liu, general manager of Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino, said Tinian’s southern tip extends a dozen kilometers into the path but still falls 10 kilometers short of the centerline.
Nevertheless, most of the 53-second long annular phase of magnitude 0.988 will be seen from this location with the sun 32 degrees above the horizon.
