How to enjoy the solar eclipse safely

Orlowski Designs LLC/Shutterstock Most people underestimate how much light a pair of sunglasses blocks out. A typical dark pair removes around 80 to 90% of the visible light reaching the eye. Safely looking directly at the Sun requires reducing the light reaching the eye by a factor of around 100,000, meaning roughly 99.999% must be removed. Ordinary sunglasses can let around 10,000 times too much visible light through. That is especially important on Wednesday 12 August, when the Moon will…