Protect Your Eyes While Watching the Transit of Venus

While watching the this evening, make sure you're watching this rare planetary event in a safe manner. 

"Looking directly at it would damage your eye's retina, the light-sensitive area at the back of the eye that provides central vision," said Christine Douglass, public relations manager for the American Academy of Ophthamology. 

"Sunglasses, binoculars with filters, neutral density filters, or exposed photographic or radiographic film" will not adequately protect the eyes, Douglass said. 

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Douglass suggested the following safe viewing options: 

• Watch the transit at a planetarium or program by a university astronomy department. Because Venus will look quite tiny against the sun's vast surface, it will be best to watch this amazing event via professional projection on a large screen.
• Visit NASA's website for a live-streaming broadcast and enjoy a live chat with scientists.
• Make a simple pinhole camera using two sheets of paper: make a pinhole in the center of one sheet; then stand with your back to the sun, holding that sheet so that the sun shines through the pinhole onto the second piece of paper. You'll see an image of the transit of Venus projected on the second sheet.