Don't be fooled by fake eclipse glasses or you will fry your eyes.
With the solar eclipse approaching proper eclipse viewing glasses are in low supply, so of course, unsafe fake ones are being sold.
Amazon has been pulling counterfeits off its website and you should be aware of people selling fakes on the street during the event It's actually hard to spot a fake, but there are some signs to look for.
There are a few reputable vendors listed as trustworthy from the American Astronomical Society.
They are ones such as this pair made by eclipseglasses.com.
You should check if your vendor is on the safe list.
Also, check the label printed on the side A safe pair should be labeled with ISO 12312-2.
It's an international safety standard for how dark the lenses are for blocking sunlight, and UV and IR radiation.
But anyone can print whatever they want on some paper glasses.
Doesn't mean it's true, right?
How do you really know?
Well, if you're being sold a fake pair of shades, there is another clue.
How much light you can see when you put them on.
You shouldn't be able to see anything except the sun itself.
And you can test it by looking directly at LED light of your smartphone, you should only be able to see the bulbs.
I see two tiny orange circle surrounded by darkness.
If you see any light behind, a lampshade, that's not good.
If there is any haze, not good.
If it feels uncomfortably bright, not good.
Don't play around with maybes, they can do permanent damage to your eyesight that you can't feel or notice right away.
And never use this for looking at the sun through a telescope or camera lens.
There's a whole other rule book for those.
Do research before playing around with binoculars and cameras.
So be safe, Earthlings.
I'm Bridget Carey.
For more eclipse tips and factoids, head to cnet.com.
