If you don’t have any special eclipse glasses, you can still see the eclipse. Just use this simple DIY hack for making your own solar eclipse viewer using a cereal box.
On Monday, the United States will witness a total solar eclipse for the first time since 1979. In order to experience the total eclipse without risking permanent eye damage, you need to wear “eclipse glasses” made with special-purpose solar filters to help prevent eye damage.
If your goal today is to experience the solar eclipse but your special eclipse eyewear you ordered did not arrive in time for today’s spectacle, you can go the DIY route and make your own simple solar eclipse viewer from a cereal box, according to NASA.
NASA created a nifty one-minute video showing how you can craft your very own viewer just in time to witness the eclipse without ruining your eyes.
How to make your own solar eclipse viewer from a cereal box
There’s a good chance you already have what you need to make your own solar eclipse viewer.
According to NASA, you will need an empty cereal box, scissors, a piece of white paper, tape, tinfoil and a small nail or something sharp that you can use to make a small hole.
Below are the steps to make your own solar eclipse viewer.
— Get your white piece of paper, place the cereal box on top of it and trace the bottom.
— Cut out the shape of your tracing.
— Tape the cutout to the bottom of the cereal box, then close the box.
— Cut two rectangular holes on the left and the right sides of the top of the box.
— Cut a piece of tinfoil and cover the left hole of the box. Use tape to keep it in place.
— Take your small nail and poke a hole in the center of the tinfoil.
According to NASA, you want to stand in a direction where the sun is behind you. If you can see your shadow in front of you, you know you’re facing the right direction.
Hold the box in such a way to where the eclipse can reflect onto the foil.
When you look into the other hole of the box (the side that’s not covered with tinfoil), you’ll be able to see a projection of the eclipse onto the white piece of paper that’s taped to the bottom.
And there you have it. You will be able to build a simple viewer to watch the 2017 solar eclipse without ruining those precious eyes of yours.
