LAFAYETTE, La. — The solar eclipse is here and Louisiana will be able to view it partially. The UL Lafayette Science Museum is offering you a chance to see the celestial event safely.
But what is a solar eclipse? Well Rene Sonnier with the UL Lafayette Science breaks it down for us.
“87 % of the sun will be covered by the moon and the moons shadow will be casted onto the earth. So we will see the sky darken to like a dusky or dawn light and we might even see the planet Juniper come out in the middle of the day," Sonnier says.
She also tells KATC that the museum will provide different ways for attendees to view the event.
“We will have solar eclipses glasses, and some pinhole viewers which is an indirect way of seeing the eclipse safely," said Sonnier. "Our telescopes have solar filters so it’s safe to view."
Dr. Carolyn Van a local optometrist in the city says the risks of watching the solar eclipse without proper eye protection.
“There is a spot in the back of the eye called the retina, when the intense light goes in itm it can damage the cells of the retina. Which can lead to blurred vision, distorted vision, and even permanent vision loss," she tells KATC.
There’s even a medical term for this, "solar retinopathy" also known as eclipse retinopathy and just by looking at the eclipse for even a few seconds can cause irreversible damage to the eye.
“It's never safe to looks directly at the sun even when it's a regular day," Sonnier says. "When you are out and about you don’t want to look up and stare at the sun with unprotected eyes so for an eclipse, people are more likely to want to see what’s going on. So you want to make sure if you are going to view the eclipse you want to have safe verified solar eclipse glasses.”
The partial solar eclipse viewing will be from 12:00pm to 2:30pm at the corner of Congress and Polk Street. Solar eclipse glasses are limited.
