We’re just days away from the partial solar eclipse making its way through Rochester on Monday afternoon. By now, you’ve likely been warned not to look at the sun without the use of special looking glasses. Unfortunately, it appears that many places selling them are sold out (including the Rochester Public Library, which had been giving away pairs for free). If you weren’t able to get your special pair, I feel ya. Same here.

Outside of finding a friend or co-worker with glasses who’s willing to share, there are a few options for you to see what’s happening.

Use Tree Shadows…Or Your Own Fingers

This is the easiest option, although it’s definitely not as cool as getting to see the eclipse through a pair of shades. You can see what’s happening by looking at a tree shadow. You can see the eclipse by looking at the area between the leaves. A second option is to put your fingers together and look at the shadow. This isn’t the sexiest way to view the eclipse, but it’s probably the best option if you absolutely don’t want to look directly at the sun, even with the use of looking glasses.

Create A Pinhole Viewer

This is also fairly easy; you just need two thin sheets of white cardboard or paper to pull it off. Using a tack, punch a tiny hole in one piece of paper. When you’re outside, stand with your back to the sun. Then just hold the sheet with the hole above the other sheet and voila!

Create a Pinhole Box Projector


These definitely aren’t as cool as having those special shades, but it’s better than nothing!

Source: Newsweek

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