How to view a solar eclipse

Today I did something new, and after some trial and error, it went rather well!

In theory …

This morning was clear and sunny. At breakfast, we discussed methods of viewing the eclipse without damaging our eyesight. We discussed using buckets of water. We talked about using binoculars. We even thought about using a pinhole camera. And apparently, even a colander can be used. But not all at the same time! Mr BK lent me his binoculars. And then left a bucket of water in the front garden. I wonder what the milkman thought when he delivered our milk this morning?

And in practice …

I used the binoculars to project an image of the Sun onto an artist’s canvas propped against the garden fence. It took a lot of trial and error before I could see the first image because it’s difficult to know where to point the binoculars without actually looking at the Sun! And although it was still very sunny, the eclipse had long since started. Then after a few adjustments, I saw my first image of the eclipse.

Then, I attached some card to the binoculars to create a shadow so the image stood out more. But I couldn’t keep it still so, I mounted the binoculars on a tripod using Sellotape. I used rather a lot of Sellotape, just to be sure since Mr BK might be upset if his binoculars were damaged. And after further adjustments to the position of the binoculars, a good image of the solar eclipse was seen. So good I had to take several photos of it!

It didn’t go dark, but the light dimmed. It was not a complete eclipse for us in the Midlands, but we did have a great view. Neighbours came out to look and we shared a moment of wonder.