Partial Solar Eclipse 2018: Do's and don'ts

New Delhi, July 12: There will be a partial solar eclipse viewing opportunity this month on July 13, after an already awesome line-up of celestial happenings.

When the sun, moon, and Earth are almost, but not quite, lined up with each other, a partial eclipse takes place. As always, you'll need to look at the sun with proper eye protection, but be sure to get a glimpse.

There are three phases during a partial solar eclipse: first, the moon starts to block the sun; then the maximum extent of the eclipse occurs; and lastly, the moon fully passes away from the sun. July's partial solar eclipse will occur at about 1:30 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time, or about 9:30 a.m. for the East Coast in the United States.

This particular eclipse will only be visible for those in the southern region of Australia, but that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of live streams and pictures for those in other parts of the world.

What to do:

• Always use a solar filter of optical density five or more
• A welder glass of rating not less than 14 must be used
• Using a homemade pinhole camera is the safest way to watch an eclipse
• Use specially made eclipse watching eye glasses, but remember they should not be scratched
• In places where there will be a partial eclipse, never view the Sun directly

What not to do:

• Don't use ordinary sunglasses, smoked glass, X-ray film, stacks of negative film to view the eclipse
• Never look at the sun directly through a telephoto lens of a camera or through a telescope, it can burn your eyes
• Taking photos of the eclipse without use of special protective filters can burn your eyes and harm the camera
• Never look at the reflection of an eclipse in water, colored or otherwise

Source: Ministry of Earth Sciences