Frequently Asked Questions

A solar eclipse is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth. The moon casts a shadow on Earth, and this shadow can completely or partially block the sun's light.

There are three different types of solar eclipses:

• Total solar eclipse: This is when the moon completely blocks the sun's light. The sky will darken, and you can see the sun's corona, the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere.
• Partial solar eclipse: This is when the moon only partially blocks the sun's light. The sun will appear smaller than usual, and there will be a dark shadow on the Earth.
• Annular solar eclipse: This is when the moon is at its farthest point from Earth, and it cannot completely block the sun's light. The sun will appear as a ring of light around the moon.

Solar eclipses are a beautiful and awe-inspiring natural phenomenon. However, it is important to never look at the sun directly, even during a solar eclipse, without proper eye protection. Doing so can cause permanent blindness.

If you want to safely view a solar eclipse, you can use solar eclipse glasses, a pinhole projector, a solar filter for a telescope or binoculars, or a special viewing box. You can also watch a live stream of the eclipse online.

To learn more, see our blog post What is a Solar Eclipse? Are they safe to view?

There are two major eclipse events coming to North America in 2023 and 2024.

• October 14 2023: an annular solar eclipse crossed over North, Central, and South America
• April 8 2024: a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, United States, and Canada

April 8 2024 will be the last total solar elipse visible from the contiguous U.S. until August 2044.

It is never safe to look directly at the Sun without special-purpose solar filters found in ISO compliant eclipse glasses.  The Sun emits three types of harmful rays that can damage your eyes:

• Ultraviolet (UV) rays: UV rays can cause cataracts and macular degeneration, two leading causes of blindness.
• Visible light: Visible light can also damage the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
• Infrared (IR) rays: IR rays can cause thermal burns to the retina.

Solar eclipse glasses are specially designed to filter out 100% of these harmful IR and UV rays and 99.999% visible light, providing safe viewing for all phases of a solar eclipse.

Solar eclipse glasses should be marked with the ISO 12312-2 standard. This means that they meet international standards to not only reduce visible sunlight by 99.999% but also to block 100% of solar UV and IR radiation.

Just as important as ISO compliance is the manufacturer.  Ensure the glasses are made by a reputable manufacturer.  The ones sold here on solar-eclipse.net are made in the USA by American Paper Optics and distributed by them directly to us.  Further, we are approved supplier of safe solar eclipse viewing glasses by the American Astrological Society; you can find their list here.

Yes, our solar eclipse glasses can be used by children of all ages to protect their eyes during viewing of a solar eclipse.  

All orders are shipped by default via USPS Ground Advantage with an average delivery time of 2-6 business days.

• Ground Advantage shipping is a flat rate of $5 for all orders.

For Faster shipping options, there are the following options available:

• USPS Priority Mail for $10. Per USPS, Priority Mail service includes tracking and delivery in 1-3 business days. We highly recommend this if ordering less than 10 business days from the eclipse!  
• USPS Priority Mail Express for $30.    This service from USPS provides next-day to 2-day delivery service by 6PM.  We highly recommend this the Express service if ordering less than a week from April 8 2024!

Under normal circumstances, we do not accept returns on eclipse glasses once they are shipped to you.  For special circumstances, please email us here.