ST. LOUIS — The United States came to a standstill on Aug. 21, 2017, when the sun was blotted out of the sky and crickets chirped in the middle of the day.
The "Great American Eclipse," as it came to be known, was the first solar eclipse to be visible throughout the nation in just under 100 years. It was also the first time people interested in watching the eclipse were able to produce specially made eclipse glasses for viewing the celestial event.
The next solar eclipse will happen over the U.S. this Saturday and, while it won't be a total eclipse like what was seen in 2017, both astronomers and health experts are issuing warnings geared towards safely viewing it.
People who still have their eclipse glasses from 2017 should not try to use them for the 2023 eclipse, according to experts. Viewing this eclipse through old glasses could pose a risk to your eyesight.
"Manufacturers say their glasses are only good for about three years before the materials that are used in the filters start to break down," said Will Snyder, the James S. McDonnell Planetarium Manager at Saint Louis Science Center. "You'll find places that say other filters are perfectly fine to still use, but there's always a lot of caveats."
Some of those caveats include being stored well and making sure the lenses aren't punctured or damaged. Because of those caveats, experts say it's better to be safe than sorry and purchase new glasses for the upcoming eclipse.
Glasses purchased now will also be safe to use for the next total solar eclipse scheduled to happen over the U.S. on April 8, 2024.
Still needing to get a pair of glasses for the eclipse? The American Astronomical Society released a list of verified manufacturers, importers and distributors that sell safe eclipse-viewing glasses. Click here to see the full list.
Be sure to check whether the eclipse glasses you use are safe before staring at the sun.
"You do want to check that they have the ISO certification, which is an international group that certifies glasses like these for safe viewing," Snyder said. "At the end of the day, you always want to test them out. Don't test them first thing on the sun. You can use a bright lamp or other light sources inside your house to see how much light is filtering through."
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