Why is looking directly at a solar eclipse considered far more dangerous than looking at the sun on a normal day?
In: Physics
* It’s not.
* It’s just that most people don’t want to look at a sun on a regular day.
* But most people do want to look at the sun during a solar eclipse.
* Also some people might think that because part of the sun is blocked, that it might be ok to look at it even though it’s not.
* So it’s not that it’s more dangerous than normal, people just make a bigger deal about it because way more people than usual will be trying to look at the sun.
Because the pain from looking at the full sun will cause you to look away before the UV rays burn your retinas.
It’s not that it’s more dangerous, it’s that it’s more likely that people will do it.
Whether full or partially (even fully) eclipsed, the sun is not something to look at with the naked eye. The intense light causes a condition called *photic retinopathy,* which is a technical way of saying “retinal burn.” Any sufficiently intense UV source can cause a case severe enough to leave lasting effects. Arc welders, the Sun, sterilization lamps, and more can cause this damage, as can the coherent light of a laser beam.
There are three problems that lead to people staring at the Sun when an eclipse is going on.
1. The visible light of the Sun is diminished, so it doesn’t seem enough to cause harm, but it most definitely is.
2. The retina (the light-sensitive part of your eye responsible for your ability to see) has no ability to sense pain. So, unless a light source is bright enough to trigger a reflex reaction, the only thing stopping you from damaging your eyes is knowing that you would be.
3. Unlike at any other time, there’s actually something to see with the Sun during an eclipse. On a normal day, it’s just that insanely bright thing in the sky. During an eclipse, there’s something cool to see, so people want to look.
As a result, since it’s understood a lot of people will want to take a look at the eclipse, a lot of warnings are issued about looking at the Sun with the naked eye.
It is not, both of those things will blind you. The reason they reiterate “don’t look directly at the sun” for an eclipse is because that is an event which people *want* to look at the sun, compared to every other day.
Latest Answers