Solar eclipse viewing glasses hard to find? How to watch safely.

Mar 15, 2024

Emily Do, 15, left, and Tiffany Bui, 16, right, try to take a photo through a solar filter of the eclipse at Levy Park, 3801 Eastside St., Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, in Houston. The event at the park was sponsored by the Levy Park Conservancy and the Lunar Planetary Institute. ( Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

As the days edge closer to the annular solar eclipse with its "ring of fire" Saturday, NASA is still recommending that everyone who views it wear a pair of approved solar eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer.

Texans who plan to see the solar eclipse but still don't have any glasses to protect their eyes have some options to purchase the items online or in-store.

Five million pairs of solar protection glasses were being distributed for free to 10,000 libraries in the United States by the Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries program. Several local libraries participating include Harris County Public Library, Houston Public Library, Harris County Public Library - Baldwin Boettcher, HCPL Fairbanks Branch, Pasadena Public Library, Spring-Branch Memorial Library, Evelyn Meador Branch Library, Helen Hall Library, C.B. Stewart-West Branch Public Library and the George Memorial Library.

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When shopping online or in person, there are approved vendors that have solar eclipse glasses. The American Astronomical Society curated a list of companies that manufacture, import and distribute glasses, handheld solar viewers and sheets or rolls of solar filter material.

One of the vendors, American Paper Optics, offers express shipping of solar protective glasses.

Although Amazon was not listed as one of the vendors, the online retailer does have solar eclipse glasses available, including in bulk items. However, the society recommends checking if an Amazon seller made the American Astronomical Society list.

Prevent Blindness Texas, a nonprofit, is selling certified solar eclipse glasses and educational resources to protect eyes from "eclipse blindness." They also offer tool kits for educators to keep students and others entertained while watching the eclipse.

The American Astronomical Society recommends also checking Home Depot, Lowe's or Walmart to see if the retailers have protective equipment in stock.

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The American Astronomical Society emphasized that NASA does not approve or endorse products. Be very cautious when buying certain solar glasses online because buying the product without knowing if they've been tested or approved can lead to possible blindness. All protective glasses must be ISO-approved. ISO is the International Organization for Standardization, an accreditation non-governmental organization.

The society recommends that customers look for written endorsements such as "recognized by the American Astronomical Society's Solar Eclipse Task Force as a supplier of safe solar viewers/filters."

Prevent Blindness Texas advises the public to not watch the solar eclipse with green 7Up bottles. And it is important to note that solar eclipse glasses are not the same as sunglasses.

There are other NASA-approved ways to see the eclipse for anyone unable to get their hands on glasses. NASA suggests using a hold punched in an index card. With your back towards the sun, you can use the pinhole to show the sun as the eclipse begins on any nearby surface. Any object with a hole – including a colander – can be used.

NASA has instructions on how to make a more complex eclipse project using a cardboard box with two openings cut into it on one end, paper taped to the other inside end of the box and aluminum foil with a pinhole to let the light in. Sunlight will flood in through the hole in the aluminum foil and hit the paper inside the box. Viewers looking through the other opening with their back faced towards the eclipse will be able to safely see the eclipse on the paper.

The solar eclipse will cross the U.S. from Oregon to Texas, and anyone who will not be able to see the path in certain cities could possibly see a partial eclipse.