ATLANTA — The Great American Eclipse is almost here!
It will take place on Monday, April 8. Residents from Texas northeastward into Maine and all of the states in between are getting ready for a view of totality. While Georgia is just outside of the total eclipse, it will still be something to see, and you don't have to miss out.
It is worth watching, though, but you have to be careful. For people who don't have protective glasses, you can make your own shadow boxes or solar viewers.
"Shadow boxes work very well. Just a pinhole camera. Just put a pinhole in something and let the sun project it on the ground or a piece of white paper," Mark Lancaster, an astronomer at Fernbank Science Center in DeKalb County.
Here's a look at the steps.
Do-it-yourself solar viewer
These are the materials you will need:
- Shoe box
- Tape
- Foil
- Paper
- Pencil
- Scissors
Step 1
Start by cutting two holes on one side of the box.
Step 2
Then, put some tape on the foil and place the foil over one of the holes in the box.
Step 3
Use the tip of a pencil to put a small hole in the foil.
Step 4
Then, put some tape on your piece of white paper and stick it inside the box opposite of the holes and put the lid on top.
And you are done!
When the eclipse is happening, put your back to the sun and look through the open hole.
The light will pass through the hole in the foil to the paper in the back of the box. You will see the image of the eclipse as it happens.
Watch the video below to see the step-by-step guide.