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So You Forgot To Buy Glasses For The Solar Eclipse ...

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Solar eclipse glasses are either really hard to find or really expensive now that we are one week out from the big day. One way to get around having to find some would be the good, old-fashioned method of using a homemade contraption to view the reflection of the sun instead.

One method is by using two pieces of paper. You make a pinhole in one paper, then place the other full sheet of paper on the ground. When you place the pinhole paper above the paper on the ground, the shadow of the moon moving across the sun will be displayed on the paper on the ground.

You can also dramatize the effect by using a box instead. Take a cereal box and cut two rectangles in the top of the shorter side opposite of each other. Place foil over one of the holes and put a pinhole in the center of the foil. Place a sheet of white paper on the opposite side of this hole and use the other hole as a viewfinder. You will be able to see the effect of the eclipse on the white sheet of paper.

Just be sure that the sun is to your back when using these methods. You are using the reflection of the sun to watch the event. Using these methods and staring at the sun will damage your eyes.

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