RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — On April 8, the sky will darken across much of Arkansas for the total solar eclipse. Dr. Matthew Hankins, assistant professor of physics at Arkansas Tech University, and his team are ready for the big day.
“We’ve also recently confirmed the weather channel is going to be here and several other people have been contacting us at the last minute, so the excitement continues to build,” said Dr. Hankins.
All that excitement will lead up to the few minutes of totality, where you will need to put on those eclipse glasses. But what about during those precious minutes of totality— is it safe to remove your glasses then?
“So say you live in a place where you’re going to experience totality, if you’re going to leave your glasses on you will see nothing. You should absolutely remove your glasses during totality. Otherwise, you’re going to miss seeing the solar corona and the extended stuff around the sun,” Dr. Hankins explained.
Now it is very important to note that this only applies to those in the direct path of totality, and only during the time of totality. Otherwise, keep those glasses on if you’re looking up.
“Anytime the sun is visible you have to have the eclipse glasses on. If you don’t have them on and you’re looking at the sun you will damage your retina so don’t look anytime the sun is visible, don’t do that,” he added.
Dr. Hankins recommended searching your town for how long you’ll be in totality and setting a timer on your phone to make sure you protect your eyes.
“If you’re still able to see the sun even if you believe it’s time, leave them on. You want to make sure you see nothing through the glasses when you’re looking at the sun when you choose to take them off," he said.