You should buy eclipse glasses right now. Here's how to find legit ones.

Solar eclipse experts urge picking up your eclipse glasses now — earlier it's excessively late.

These comparatively cheap, specialized viewers — which let you to safely position nan sun — are basal for watching nan much-anticipated celestial arena connected April 8, 2024 arsenic nan moon gradually blocks our star. Only during immoderate 3 to 4 minutes of totality, erstwhile nan satellite has wholly blocked nan sun, tin you watch nan total star eclipse arena without these glasses.

But, crucially, you'll want to corroborate that you're buying approved eclipse glasses from honorable sellers. Fortunately, nan American Astronomical Society (AAS), has vigilantly vetted products and sellers, truthful you tin make an informed purchasing decision.

"Get them now — they will go scarce," Richard Fienberg, an astronomer and elder advisor astatine nan American Astronomical Society, told Mashable.

"But don't conscionable randomly bid them online," Fienberg emphasized. "Check nan AAS list."

During nan past full star eclipse to walk complete nan U.S. successful 2017, online marketplaces for illustration Amazon were inundated pinch eclipse glasses. It wasn't clear really immoderate products had been tested. And it was difficult to cognize wherever immoderate glasses were made.

"Nobody knew if their worldly was safe aliases not," Fienberg recalled.

It's imperative that immoderate eclipse glasses meet an world information modular for viewing nan sun, called "ISO 12312-2." Yet conscionable because personification prints that it's compliant doesn't mean that it really is.

"We utilized to opportunity that you should look for grounds that they comply pinch nan ISO 12312-2 world information modular for filters for nonstop viewing of nan Sun," nan AAS explained online. "But successful nan weeks earlier nan August 21, 2017, 'Great American' full star eclipse, nan marketplace was flooded by counterfeit eclipse glasses that were branded arsenic ISO-compliant erstwhile successful truth they had not been decently tested and shown to beryllium safe."

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The bully news is that galore sellers and products are trustworthy. The AAS has compiled a Suppliers of Safe Solar Filters & Viewers reference to guarantee you're buying morganatic eclipse glasses.

Where to bargain eclipse glasses

The AAS's database of vetted sellers is simply a reference that provides 2 important levels of scrutiny: ensuring nan products meet nan ISO information modular (the trial results are confirmed) and that nan sellers aren't being deceitful. For example, an online seller mightiness declare a merchandise is made successful nan U.S. erstwhile it's not. Or, a seller mightiness declare their merchandise is "NASA Approved" — but NASA doesn't beforehand aliases o.k. commercialized products.

"We're not going to nexus to anybody who is making mendacious claims," Fienberg emphasized. "Not only are we convinced nan products are safe, we consciousness comfortable linking to these companies because they're pursuing bully business practices."

Fienberg, who truthful acold has witnessed 14 stunning full star eclipses (soon-to-be 15), does a batch of this vetting himself. He ensures that a seller is so trading products they received from an approved manufacturer. "I don't return immoderate 1 company's connection for it," he explained. "I besides interaction nan manufacturer."

The AAS database mostly recommends North American companies. That's because nan 2024 full star eclipse is crossing a wide swath of North America (Mexico, nan U.S. and Canada), and nan astronomy group doesn't want nan database to turn excessively agelong and overwhelming. Providing — and besides vetting — 100 choices is not going to supply overmuch use to personification who simply wants to spot who immoderate morganatic sellers are.

For example, this past week, I utilized nan AAS eclipse glasses supplier database to vet a seller connected Amazon. I located nan sanction successful 10 seconds, double-checked my purchase, and came distant pinch 10 vetted eclipse glasses to stock pinch my space-intrigued family and friends.

What to do if you can't find eclipse glasses

As April 8 approaches, request for eclipse glasses will spike arsenic proviso dwindles. Some 31 cardinal people unsocial unrecorded successful nan way of totality (shown successful nan representation above), and galore much will recreation to spot nan event. It's passing done immoderate awesome U.S. cities.

"The suppliers are going to tally out," Fienberg said. "The proviso isn't infinite."

So it's wise to prime up immoderate eclipse glasses while you can. But if you're excessively late, nan bully news is that you tin share. After all, nan glasses are for seeing nan partial information of nan eclipse, erstwhile nan satellite is either gradually moving successful beforehand of nan sun aliases distant from nan sun. Each play takes complete an hour. The glasses tin beryllium utilized to look up each fewer minutes and watch nan celestial advancement from our perch connected Earth.

"Not each azygous personification has to person eclipse glasses," Fienberg said.

But you surely don't want to beryllium successful a group that doesn't person any.

If you're willing successful the latest eclipse glasses deals from vetted sellers, Mashable has compiled a database of these products here.

• Medical King Solar Eclipse Glasses (10 Pack) — $7.99 $11.99 connected Amazon (save $4)

• Healthoholic Solar Eclipse Glasses (2 Pack) — $6.99 $9.99 connected Amazon (save $3)

• GottaHaveIt Solar Eclipse Glasses (5 Pack) — $7.99 $10.99 connected Amazon (save $3)

• SEIC Solar Eclipse Glasses (3 Pack) — $21.99 $27.99 connected Amazon (save $6)

• Helioclipse Solar Eclipse Glasses (12 Pack)— $21.95 $24.95 connected Amazon (save $3)

• Soluna Solar Eclipse Glasses — $13.99 connected Amazon (full price)

• Lunt Solar Systems Premium Solar Eclipse Glasses (10 Pack) — $19.95 connected Amazon (full price)

• American Paper Optics Solar Eclipse Glasses (4 Pack) — $13.89 connected Amazon (full price)

• Gravitis Solar Eclipse Glasses (2 Pack) — $4.99 connected Amazon (full price)

• Note: All woody pricing is taxable to change.

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