Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Well yeah. People realize it isn't any more dangerous to look at the sun during an eclipse than at any other time, right? The reason we were warned not to do it is because during an eclipse we have reason to stare at the sun for more than a few seconds, and if the sky is dimmed we may not naturally look away. It's not as though during an eclipse the sun puts out special rays that burn out your retina just by looking at it for a couple seconds.
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Off topic but important IMO.
People may think that it isn't more dangerous to look at the sun during an eclipse, but they are wrong, it is more dangerous, and not because people don't naturally look away.
Normally if you glance at the sun or look at it for a few seconds, you're already somewhere bright and your pupil is already contracted to protect your eye, vastly reducing the amount of special rays that reach and can burn your retina.
During totality it gets very dark, your eyes automatically adjust by dilating the pupil to let in as much light as possible. Then when the moon moves enough to reveal the sun, your eye is flooded with light and radiation before you can look away or before your pupils can react and contract. This can and does cause temporary and permanent damage.