Experts share do's and don'ts for watching the eclipse: Protect your eyes
DALLAS - Experts are calling the Great North American Eclipse a "once-in-a-lifetime event."
The total solar eclipse is happening on April 8, less than 50 days away; however, experts also urge people to get their verified solar glasses now, before they are in short supply.
"On-point-five million people are expected to be here in DFW on the eighth! That's 20% more than what our population is. The Super Bowl hasn't brought in these types of crowds --- not even Taylor Swift is bringing in these kinds of crowds," explained Jo Trizila, President of Total Eclipse DFW.
Trizila and her organization are making sure everyone is prepared, by selling and sending hundreds of solar glasses daily to millions of sky watchers.
Trizila says the biggest thing is to get properly certified glasses because the wrong ones can cause eye damage and even blindness. She advises viewers to look at the label and stay clear of glasses sold on Amazon and Etsy because those glasses are not ISO-certified. She also says to make sure the shades of the glasses do not have any holes or gaps.
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science also gave out more than a million glasses Wednesday to local schools.
"More than 575 schools will be picking up their eclipse glasses today. So we're getting these into the hands of as many students as possible," says Dr. Linda Silver, CEO of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.
"Students have a natural love of science anyway, so just getting them to understand that they won't see another total eclipse in their lifetime is kind of mind-blowing for them," says Dr. Lisa Lovato with Cityscape Schools, one of the schools that picked up glasses.
You can find your glasses from reputable vendors by going to the American Astronomical website, or click here.
"This truly is a once-in-a-lifetime event. A total solar eclipse has not been through DFW in over 100 years and won't come through again for another 300 years," Trizila adds.
You can look up more information about the eclipse by clicking here.
And if you want to order glasses from Total Eclipse DFW, you can click here.