Here's Where To Get Solar Eclipse Glasses For Free

There is a very rare phenomenon happening this weekend, and you don’t want to miss it.

The “Ring of Fire” eclipse is happening on Saturday the 14th of October, so get yourself prepared and plan to turn your eyes to the sky.

It will be more than a decade before you might have the chance to see this type of solar eclipse again.

You don’t want to miss out on this über cool opportunity — especially with your kids.

What Is A “Ring of Fire” Solar Eclipse?

This is going to be what’s called a “ring of fire” eclipse — or annual solar eclipse — which means the moon will pass between the sun and Earth, partially covering the sun, making what appears to be a “ring of fire” around the moon.

This eclipse happens in several phases: a partial eclipse, an annularity, the return to partial eclipse, and the fourth contact.

When the eclipse starts, the moon will start to cover the sun, making it look smaller and smaller.

It takes about an hour and 20 minutes for the moon to pass completely in front of the sun, which will leave what looks like a “ring of fire” around the moon.

The sky will dim, and it may look like dusk for about 5 minutes.

After this point, the moon will start to pass the opposite way over the sun, until the sun is, once again, completely visible.

Do You Need Special Eyewear To See The “Ring of Fire” Solar Eclipse?

It is VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE that you should NOT watch this solar eclipse without proper eyewear, otherwise you can permanently scorch your retinas.

Normal sunglasses aren’t going to do the trick. You need solar glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard.

Fortunately, we know where you can get just the glasses you need to watch the eclipse.

Where To Get Solar Eclipse Glasses

In some cases, you don’t need to look any further than your local library.

There is a program in place that is sending 5 million solar eclipse glasses to 10,000 libraries across the country through the Space Science Institute.

Just call your local library to see if they are one of the participating locations, and you can get your solar glasses for FREE.

There is also an organization known as the Astronomical Society of the Pacific that has “Eclipse Ambassadors” that provide free solar eclipse glasses to underserved communities.

To see if your area participates in this program, you can go to their website: AstroSociety.Org.