How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
Science
Speaker 1: Rejoice people of North America for the 8th of April. You're about to witness the last solar eclipse for a good 20 years in the area. By then, the symptoms will probably be on season 54, predicting the impeachment of President Gaga for something scandalous. No doubt. Now I know you're excited, but please, please, please, please, please do not look at the eclipse with your naked eyes. It's not advisable. So if you want to savor this rare moment, I'm going to show you the steps to safely [00:00:30] enjoy the solar eclipse through your phone. Now, before I go into what you'll need, it might be good to know where the total solar eclipse can be seen. The eclipse will cross over the Pacific coast of Mexico and head northeast over mainland Mexico. It will then make its way over San Antonio and approximately 2:30 PM Eastern time and move through Texas, over the southern eastern part of Oklahoma and northern Arkansas.
Speaker 1: By 2:50 PM by 3:00 PM [00:01:00] the eclipse will be over south Illinois and just five minutes after we'll be traveling over Indianapolis, folks in northwestern Ohio will be treated to the eclipse by 3:15 PM and it will then travel over Lake Erie and Buffalo, New York by 3:20 PM Over the next 10 minutes, the eclipse will then be seen over northern New York states, then over Vermont by 3:35 PM the Eclipse will work its way into Canada and off the eastern [00:01:30] coast of North America. Now, to witness this cosmic phenomena, you'll need a few things. Your phone, a tripod, a phone holder for said tripod, a pair of solar glasses, and a solar filter for your phone. First thing you want to do is set up your tripod, which will make for a nice, steady shot and will be infinitely better than going handheld with it. Next up, follow the instructions on the filter for your phone and install that and put your solar glasses on.
Speaker 1: It's not advice. Look at the eclipse even [00:02:00] through your phone's camera. Now, frame your shot. It's best not to digitally zoom into your shot as it will degrade the resolution. If your phone has a dedicated telephoto lens, then use that to get in closer. When capturing the eclipse, there's not a lot of time to capture all those little details like the diamond ring, which is the last bead of light before it goes completely dark, or the sun's corona. To get all that, it might be worth checking beforehand to see if your phone has a burst mode. That way you can unload a big clipper shot [00:02:30] to then review and make sure you've captured all those perfect moments. And with that, you should have a stunning photo of the total solar eclipse for you to cherish for all time. While I am beyond envious of everyone in the states being able to see this great event, unfortunately it won't be able to because I'm in the uk, but not to worry. I'm sure there'll be a solar eclipse coming in the next couple of years for me to check out. But until then, I'll say thank you for watching and for more tips and tricks, keep it on cnet.
