We have been made aware of counterfeit eclipse glasses being sold online. Counterfeit glasses may not meet the safety requirements for viewing the Monday, April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse. To check to see if your glasses are genuine test them ahead of the eclipse using the following recommendations from the American Astronomical Society:
If you didn’t buy your eclipse glasses directly from a vetted vendor, you may be wondering how you can be sure your glasses are safe. “There’s no way to tell just by looking at them whether eclipse glasses are genuinely safe,” cautions [Rick Fienberg, Project Manager of the AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force and a veteran of 14 total solar eclipses], “but it’s easy to tell if they are not safe.” Before April 8th, put them on indoors and look around. You shouldn’t be able to see anything through them, except perhaps very bright lights, which should appear very faint through the glasses. If you can see anything else, such as household furnishings or pictures on the wall, your glasses aren’t dark enough for solar viewing.
If your glasses pass the indoor test, take them outside on a sunny day, put them on, and look around again. You still shouldn’t see anything through them, except perhaps the Sun’s reflection off a shiny surface or a puddle, which again should appear very faint.
If your glasses pass that test too, glance at the Sun through them for less than a second. You should see a sharp-edged, round disk (the Sun’s visible “face”) that’s comfortably bright. Depending on the type of filter in the glasses, the Sun may appear white, bluish white, yellow, or orange.
If your glasses pass all three tests, they are probably safe. But if you aren’t completely confident of the safety of your eclipse glasses, you should use them sparingly. During the April 8th solar eclipse, look at the Sun through the glasses for no more than 2 or 3 seconds every 5 minutes or so. This will be enough to observe the Moon covering more and more of the Sun before maximum eclipse, then uncovering more and more of it after maximum eclipse.
We recommend testing your glasses ahead of the eclipse.
The Duncanville Recreation Center (201 James Collins Blvd., Duncanville, TX 75116) has free eclipse glasses available. Their hours are Monday through Friday from 6:30 AM to 9:00 PM and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Glasses will also be available at Dark in the Park happening Monday, April 8, 2024.