On Mon, 6 Aug 2012, Joe from Kokomo wrote:

On 8/2/2012 3:43 PM, Beloved Leader wrote:
On Thursday, August 2, 2012 3:24:52 PM UTC-4, (unknown) wrote:
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/rt_plots/kp_3d.html Kp=5 Jim (MI)

Using binoculars, I saw a huge sunspot at sunrise this morning, which
for me was right after 6:00 a.m. outside Washington, DC. It looked
like the transit of Venus. Really, it was that large and noticeable.

The atmosphere was so humidity-laden that I could look at the sun
through the binoculars without any needing any glass from a welder's
mask. YMMV.

I hope you realize that amongst the rods and cones on your retina, there are
NO pain receptors.

It is really easy to damage your retina and not realize it -- and looking
through a telescope or binoculars without a solar filter (not depending on
clouds) can quickly cause serious damage.

NEVER look at the sun without a solar filter. Do NOT depend on clouds or fog.

Oh, did I mention NEVER?

That was why during the eclipse of 1970, everyone was told the safest
method was to pit a tiny hole in a box and watch the projection against
the other side.

Michael

(top-posting, which the new inteface makes more understandable than any alternative)

Thanks for the information. When I observed the transit of Venus back in June, I used a really dark piece of glass from a welder's mask. Whatever the number was, it was dark enough that I could not see surrounding terrain.

On Monday, August 6, 2012 7:42:18 PM UTC-4, Joe from Kokomo wrote:
On 8/2/2012 3:43 PM, Beloved Leader wrote:
... The atmosphere was so humidity-laden that I could look at the sun
through the binoculars without any needing any glass from a welder's
mask. YMMV.

I hope you realize that amongst the rods and cones on your retina, there are NO pain receptors. It is really easy to damage your retina and not realize it....

On 8/7/2012 12:46 PM, Beloved Leader wrote:

Thanks for the information. When I observed the transit of Venus back
in June, I used a really dark piece of glass from a welder's mask.
Whatever the number was, it was dark enough that I could not see
surrounding terrain.

Humph! Even an 8 or 10 is "dark enough that I could not see surrounding
terrain."...but that is not a high enough number.

The recommended number is #14...and they are additive if you can't find
a 14.

For the recent transit, my welding supply shop did not have a #14 but
they did have a #10 and #4, which I taped together.

Additional note: Put the #14 glass in FRONT (input side) of your
binoculars. If you put it on the output side, the concentrated heat
could leave you with a face full of shattered glass.

On 8/8/12 06:17 , Joe from Kokomo wrote:
On 8/7/2012 12:46 PM, Beloved Leader wrote:

Thanks for the information. When I observed the transit of Venus back
in June, I used a really dark piece of glass from a welder's mask.
Whatever the number was, it was dark enough that I could not see
surrounding terrain.

Humph! Even an 8 or 10 is "dark enough that I could not see surrounding
terrain."...but that is not a high enough number.

The recommended number is #14...and they are additive if you can't find
a 14.

For the recent transit, my welding supply shop did not have a #14 but
they did have a #10 and #4, which I taped together.

Additional note: Put the #14 glass in FRONT (input side) of your
binoculars. If you put it on the output side, the concentrated heat
could leave you with a face full of shattered glass.


If you're near an observatory, they'll have viewing glasses, certified
for solar events, in the gift shop for about a buck.

They'll also have a public viewing on site.