Hey Ray: How to make solar eclipse pinhole viewers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - As April 8th's solar eclipse draws near, you may be looking for ways to safely view it.
Having the proper equipment is very important for the well-being of your eyes. We showed you solar viewing glasses, and how to choose them.
However, the closer you get to the eclipse, you may find it hard to find eclipse glasses.
Or you may have had some solar eclipse glasses and a certain fuzzy family member decided to destroy them. Either way, there is more than one way to view a solar eclipse. We are going to show you how to safely view the eclipse with a cereal box.
Obviously, an empty cereal box is the main thing you need. You will also need some white paper, aluminum foil, tape, and something to poke a small hole.
First, trace the bottom of the box on the white sheet of paper. Cut out that rectangle and tape it to the inside, bottom of the cereal box. If you want to get fancy, you can glue it, but tape works just fine.
From there cut a couple of inches off each side of the top flap.
You are making two, square holes. One on the left and one on the right side of the box top.
Now you take the foil and cover one hole with it. Just tape it down. Then you poke a hole in the center of the foil.
That's it!
This is what is called a "pinhole viewer". You stand with your back to the sun, so the Sun can shine through the hole with the foil. You look into the hole without the foil. You will see the sunlight shine on the white paper, and as the eclipse occurs, you will see the solar eclipse projected inside the box!
To be honest, you can also just grab a strainer from the kitchen and let the Sun shine through that strainer and onto a piece of paper or the ground. It still acts like a pinhole projector but has a bunch of holes. This will project a bunch of eclipses onto the paper or ground.
I like the cereal box, though. It reminds me of looking for the prize at the bottom of the box.
