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Sunspots are cooler regions on the surface of the sun that can spawn eruptive disturbances, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Our best binoculars guide will help you scope out the best astronomy binoculars available for stargazing and what you should be looking for when choosing the right pair for you. Well-known models include Lunt SUNoculars (opens in new tab) and Celestron EclipSmart (opens in new tab). You get a magnified view of the entire solar disk, though since the solar filters are built-in they're safe, but lack versatility. The other way of observing the sun with binoculars is to buy some special sunoculars, which have solar filters built-in. The most common way to do this is to purchase solar filter film from reputable brands (opens in new tab). As with a telescope you must put solar filters on the objective lenses on the front of binoculars (and never the eyepieces). There are two ways of observing the sun when using binoculars. We also have a guide to the best budget telescopes under $500 for those wanting to invest in new equipment without breaking the bank. If you're looking for a telescope to view the sun our best telescopes guide can help point you in the right direction. It's even possible to buy Hα telescopes with integrated filters for 100% solar viewing. Both white light and Hα solar filters for telescopes come in all shapes and sizes to fit all kinds of telescopes. Hα filters do that by only allowing through light from hydrogen atoms. The view is typically either bluish-white or yellow, depending on the materials used.Īnother way is Hydrogen-alpha (Hα) filters (opens in new tab), which instead of sunspots show prominences and other details on the sun's surface. One way is to purchase a white light solar filter (opens in new tab), which blocks 99.999% of sunlight - including dangerous UV and IR light - and is designed to view sunspots as dark regions of the surface of the sun as well as the solar photosphere. However, never look through a telescope without a solar filter on the large end (opens in new tab) (the objective lens). If you want a close-up of the sun the best way is to use a telescope. (Image credit: m-gucci via Getty Images) (opens in new tab) Never look at the sun with a telescope that doesn't have a solar filter. The best way to get a close-up view of the sun is to use a telescope equipped with a solar filter. Optical equipment magnifies the sun's harmful rays unless there's a solar filter in the way at the sun-facing end of the instrument. However, you should never observe the sun through a telescope or binoculars while wearing eclipse glasses. So the best way is to wear them like glasses but while doing so keep the temples pressed against the side of your head using both hands. That can be dangerous if you're looking at the sun at the time.
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Despite their design, the thin cardboard arms on eclipse glasses make them prone to falling off. The most common mistake people make when using solar eclipse glasses is to wear them like glasses. Cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses before looking at the sun and look away from the sun before removing them.If you wear glasses then put solar eclipse glasses over them.Always supervise children using solar filters.
#Build a diy sun spotter how to#
(Image credit: Daniel MacDonald / via Getty Images) (opens in new tab)Īccording to (opens in new tab) the American Astronomical Society (AAS) here's how to use solar eclipse glasses: When used correctly, solar eclipse glasses are a great way to view the sun safely.
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