Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that on August 21st, 2017 a total solar eclipse will be passing across the continental United States, giving many Americans a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see an eclipse in person.
Whether you’ll be in the path of totality, or watching a partial eclipse elsewhere in the country, you’ve probably already made plans for where you’ll be during those magical few minutes.
Eclipse Magic Indoors
In the hours before and after the eclipse, you might want to think about stepping indoors to see what happens when the sun shines through your blinds. Instead of creating regular beams of light through the holes in your blinds, you’ll see the shape of the eclipse!
Photo via OneSketchist
Photo via Wikimedia
Photo via Astronomy Photo of the Day
Photo via Reddit.
Photo via Reddit.
What Causes these Mystical Alien Shadows?
Is this a magic spell brought on by the eclipse’s otherworldly powers? Nope. It’s science.
You may have heard that one way to safely view an eclipse is with a homemade pinhole camera. This is essentially a cardboard box with a pin hole cut in it.
On one side of the box you poke a hole, and on the other, you tape a piece of paper. Point the pinhole end toward the sun and peer into the box through a second opening. The box works like a pinhole camera and will project the silhouette onto the paper.
What About the Blinds?
The amazing thing about an eclipse is that the sun’s super bright light will turn anything into a pinhole camera – including your window treatments! Many blinds and shades have tiny holes in them that will function the exact same as the pinhole.
This effect doesn’t only work on perfectly round holes. If you look at the eclipsed sun shining through a tree, all of the gaps between the leaves will turn into eclipse shaped light as well. You can even try this with a pegboard, kitchen strainer, or even a cracker – anything with holes!
Share Your Eclipse Magic with Us!
If you take any amazing eclipse + blinds pics, share on Instagram and tag us @blindsdotcom.
Stay Eclipse Safe
DO NOT look at the eclipse without protective eclipse glasses or a special lens filter for your camera or telescope. The powerful sun rays can burn your retina or damage your camera! Brush up on eclipse safety before August 21st.
