Home › Forums › Health & Fitness › Eclipse! Freaking out about driving during the eclipse.
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August 19, 2017 10:52 pm at 10:52 pm #1342704LightbriteParticipant
What do I do? On Monday, I have a doctor’s appt. Had I realized that the end of the appt might coincide with the beginning of the eclipse viewing here, I would have scheduled it for another day. But now it’s too late to cancel without a late fee and feeling of shame. So what do I do?
How do I get home safely from the doctor’s appt? The other option is sitting in the office for 5 more hours?
Thank you!
August 20, 2017 8:17 am at 8:17 am #1342816jakobParticipantget yourself a pair of those eclipse glasses to wear
August 20, 2017 9:05 am at 9:05 am #1342840ubiquitinParticipantThere is nothing dangerous about being outdoors during an eclipse
Staring at an eclipse isnt more dangerous than staring at the sun on any other day.The problem is that msot days staring at the sun isnt interesting so you arent tempted to do it. (plus it hurts, while as an eclipse occurs it hurts less since the sun is partially covered which of course makes it LESS dangerous than staring at the sun on any other day but easier and more compelling to do so.)
Bottom line. Dont stare at the sun without eclipse glasses, not today not tomorrow nor any day.
There is no reason to cancel your appointmentAugust 20, 2017 9:30 am at 9:30 am #1342847mms601ParticipantThe danger of driving during an eclipse is the other distracted drivers
August 20, 2017 9:36 am at 9:36 am #1342849MenoParticipantI think it’s impossible to stare directly at the sun at any time other than during an eclipse.
Your eyes would automatically turn away since it’s so bright.
August 20, 2017 11:32 am at 11:32 am #1342922LightbriteParticipantThank you for your feedback everyone! 🙂
August 20, 2017 11:32 am at 11:32 am #1342921LightbriteParticipantI read that the roads may become a traffic mess.
Not staring towards the sun is difficult if you’re driving and it’s right there. Sunglasses won’t help here.
August 20, 2017 11:34 am at 11:34 am #1342869hujuParticipantWherever you have to go, wait 10 minutes and it will be over. And in New York, the eclipse will be partial. not total. Your headlights will do fine.
And mms601 makes an excellent point – distracted drivers.
August 20, 2017 11:34 am at 11:34 am #1342859JosephParticipantWhat time is the eclipse happening in New York?
August 20, 2017 11:40 am at 11:40 am #1342863thaboParticipantFor goodness’ sake, you’d think the world was coming to an end.
For 99% of those 5 or so hours that the eclipse is visible (with special lenses) no discernible change is visible to people walking around. In fact if you were to forget about it and look at the sun (with special lenses) a few hours into the eclipse, you’d be surprised to see how much of the sun was covered without producing any noticible change in your surroundings.
shortly before and after the zenith it will be darker as if on a cloudy day. Around the zenith it will go dark for a short period of time – absolutely nothing to freak out about about and not the kind of thing to make anyone change their plans
August 20, 2017 11:41 am at 11:41 am #1342858M goldParticipantI have a question if the eclips the sun is not stronger them any other day it’s just the fact that you can look at it that what makes the dnager vs any other day u can’t them how come I never here of a problem with sun glasses you should not look at the sun and I did it already multiple times looking at the sun with sun glasses and now with the eclips everywhere there is a warning bot to look at it even with sun glasses only those special eclips glasses should be used ????!
August 20, 2017 12:02 pm at 12:02 pm #1342978ubiquitinParticipantLB
“Not staring towards the sun is difficult if you’re driving and it’s right there. ”I dont understand this. in the afternoon the sun is overhead. Why are you staring up while driving?, look at the road., and in the evening/morning when the sun is low down why dont you use the sun visor to keep the sun out of your eyes? You shouldn’t ever be staring at the sun, and certainyl while driving as itcan be blinding.
M Gold
“I never here of a problem with sun glasses you should not look at the sun and I did it already multiple times looking at the sun with sun glasses ”
Ok, so now youre hearing it. dont look a the sun ever without protective gear. It has harmful rays that can burn your retina. IT doesn gain these rays only during an eclipse
“now with the eclips everywhere there is a warning bot to look at it even with sun glasses only those special eclips glasses”
Becuase there are millions upon millions upon millions of people that will be staring at the sun tommorow. On a regular day people dont stare at the sun as a. there isnt much to look at and b. the sun is too strong to stare at.
Tomorrow, the sun will be weaker making it easier to stare at and more interestingAugust 20, 2017 10:48 pm at 10:48 pm #1343246Lilmod UlelamaidParticipantNot everyone was able to get ahold of the special glasses (like me). Personally, I would be terrified to drive tomorrow.
As Ubiquitin wrote: “Becuase there are millions upon millions upon millions of people that will be staring at the sun tommorow. On a regular day people dont stare at the sun as a. there isnt much to look at and b. the sun is too strong to stare at. Tomorrow, the sun will be weaker making it easier to stare at and more interesting”Knowing that you are not supposed to look at the sun can make it hard not to do so.
I’m scared to go outside during the hours of the eclipse.
August 21, 2017 12:26 am at 12:26 am #1343267👑RebYidd23ParticipantSee if you can get yourself some eclipse glasses.
August 21, 2017 7:26 am at 7:26 am #1343277Shopping613 ðŸŒParticipantThe thing is your brain is tricked into thinking its safe when is reality the radiation from looking at the sun it twice or even triple the normal ammount. A second or two can cause partial blindless.
August 21, 2017 9:00 am at 9:00 am #1343324ubiquitinParticipantShopping613
“reality the radiation from looking at the sun it twice or even triple the normal ammount”what is your source for that?
August 21, 2017 2:02 pm at 2:02 pm #1343589LightbriteParticipantFrom NASA – FAQ Eclipse 2017:
“Isn’t this ‘safety’ issue about eclipse viewing, a bit overblown?
Absolutely not! Everyone needs to be reminded that eyes never evolved on Earth to look at the sun without suffering severe damage. We have many built-in reflexes to prevent this. There are no higher organisms on this planet that can do so and not run an enormous risk of being blinded. Most of the time, astronomers are anxious for you to look at the sky and deeply enjoy the sights that you see. There is never a disclaimer that this is dangerous. The ONLY exception is in viewing solar eclipses. It is an inherently dangerous activity that you have to do very carefully in order not to suffer eye damage. There are specific steps you can take, based on the experience of thousands of professionals, not only in astronomy but in medicine. So, bottom line: read the safety warnings and make sure you understand how to view the eclipse before August 21, 2017 so that the only lasting impression you have is a wonderful memory of the event, not a damaged retina!” (NASA)
August 21, 2017 4:02 pm at 4:02 pm #1343630ubiquitinParticipantLB
The wordign in that paragraph is poor.
If you look at other paragrpahs on the same FAQ
for example:
: “.. The problem is that the sun’s surface is so bright that if you stare at any portion of it, no matter how small, it produces enough light to damage individual retinal cells. It takes a few seconds for this to happen, but afterwards you will see a spot as big as the solar surface you glimpsed when you look away from the sun at some other scenery. Depending on how long you gazed at the sun and how badly the retinal cells were damaged, this spot will either fade away in time or remain permanent. You should never assume that you can look away quickly enough to avoid eye damage because every person is different in terms of their retinal sensitivity, and you do not want to risk being the one who damages their eyes just to try to look at the sun. …”You will see that staring at the sun is ALWAYS dangerous.
An eclipse causes less dammage than the ful ldisk of the sun, but is more liekly to happenAugust 21, 2017 4:30 pm at 4:30 pm #1343632DovidBTParticipantWhen eclipses occurred hundreds or thousands of years ago, many people must have stared at them, ignorant of the risk to their vision. Are there any historical accounts of the widespread blindness that resulted?
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