demand for solar eclipse glasses used to safely view this rare celestial event has been increasing as vendors, along with astronomy and eye care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Jenna Hinds, executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC), says her organization sold 70,000 pairs between August 2023 and February 2024 and sold out of its online stock in February.
“Demand for this product is through the roof,” Hinds said in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca. “The sooner you get some sunglasses, the better.”
Robert Cockcroft, an assistant professor in the physics and astronomy department at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., and secretary of the Canadian Astronomical Society, says McMaster purchased 600,000 eclipse glasses in mid-December, enough for all Hamilton residents. . About 500,000 have already been given away for free and the rest are mostly accounted for, he said.
The rare celestial event will occur on Monday, April 8 in parts of Canada, the United States and Mexico. Most of North America will experience at least a partial solar eclipse. During a total solar eclipse, temporary darkness, or the moon’s 185-kilometer-wide shadow, will cover the path where the moon aligns perfectly between the Earth and the sun.
The next total solar eclipse won’t occur until 2044 in Canada. Canada last experienced a total solar eclipse in 2008.
What are eclipse glasses?
Elaina Hyde, director of the Allan I. Carswell Astronomical Observatory at York University in Toronto, says solar eclipse viewers, like eclipse glasses, are a popular way to view the phenomenon safely. She says the observatory provides them for free at its events. These visors or glasses must be ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certified with ISO-12312-2, indicating that they meet international safety requirements, she said.
“The ISO safety rating basically means that only a small fraction of the light reaches the eyes,” he said in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca.
Eclipse glasses are typically made of cardboard and have a special filter that blocks virtually all light, including 100 percent of ultraviolet and infrared light, as well as 99.9 percent of normal light, according to eclipse experts. astronomy. Hyde emphasizes that regular sunglasses, tinted car roofs, welder’s goggles, or anything else that is not rated for safely viewing the eclipse will not be safe to use.
“The sun is incredibly bright. That’s why it can cause blindness,” he said. “Normal sunglasses block an average of 10 percent of light, a thousand less or several thousand times less than is needed.”
She says most of North America will only have a partial eclipse, meaning there is no time when it is safe to view the sun directly as it can result in partial or complete loss of vision.
Astronomy experts say it is only safe to see one solar eclipse during totality when the moon completely covers the sun.
How much they cost?
While costs vary online for these glasses, many companies sell them at similar prices and do not have significantly high costs for smaller orders. Astronomy experts say the glasses are generally inexpensive, with a pair costing $10 or less.
Hyde warns people to be on the lookout for potential scammers selling fake products eclipse glasses. She recommends that buyers go to a reputable supplier that sells glasses and filters verified by the American Astronomical Society.
“They shouldn’t cost a lot of money,” he said in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca. “A lot of places are giving them away.”
Glasses with plastic frames, designs, or claims to use better material to block light may cost more.
Bulk purchases end up costing less per unit at Amazon, which has discounts on certain products, and at other online retailers. Ordering from foreign marketplaces like AliExpress may have cheaper prices. However, some advise against it due to concerns about quality and the risk of not being delivered on time.
Hinds recommends people check if places in their cities deliver them for free. While the glasses are sold out on RASC’s website, their organization is selling a limited supply in person for cash only at their national office in Toronto.
Adam Levy, president of Buffalo, New York-based Celestial Optical, says demand is now “extremely high” in Canada and that his company is selling eclipse glasses “very aggressively.”
In recent weeks, he says his company has sold between 15,000 and 20,000 eclipse glasses a day on Amazon in Canada. “Sales numbers are increasing practically every day,” Levy said in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca. “We expect there to be a big rush as we get closer to the eclipse date.”
After a total solar eclipse in 2017 in some parts of the United States, but not Canada, which only saw a partial eclipse, Celestial Optical was formed in part to fill the gap in the Canadian market, Levy said.
Levy says his company, which sells products exclusively on Amazon in North America, has experienced a big problem with fake products using the Celestial Optical name and design. “There are a lot of competitors and we’ve had a big problem with counterfeiters,” he said, noting that authentic products are only sold under his name on Amazon.
Buying last minute glasses is ‘risky’
Sujatha Mathi, owner of online store Eclipse Glasses Canada in Toronto, says sales were quiet in January, but spiked around February.
Mathi hopes to find sponsors to donate $250 for 500 units of eclipse glasses that he plans to give away for free to healthcare workers and their families. She has set aside 75,000 pairs of glasses for donations to hospitals and sponsors can choose the hospitals.
As the date of the total eclipse approaches, Mathi says it’s best to place your order before March 20 so Canada Post has enough time to deliver the glasses.
“People should be aware that leaving it to the last minute will be a bit risky if they want to get them,” Mathi said.
View eclipse safely
Some astronomy experts and vendors believe it is safe to view the solar eclipse only during totality after dark.
However, Dr. Shaina Nensi, vice-president of the Ontario Association of Optometrists and an optometrist in Toronto, says people should avoid looking at the sun without filters or sunglasses, even during totality, when the moon completely blocks it.
“The most important thing to keep in mind with solar eclipse glasses is that when you look through them, you shouldn’t be able to see anything through a true solar filter except the sun and light equally as bright as the sun,” Nensi said. in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca.
“If you can see normal light through eclipse glasses or filters, then they are not safe and put you at high risk of damaging your eyes.”
Buyers should check their sunscreen or glasses for any damage and avoid using them if they have scratches or dents. People should not use binoculars or take photos with their phones or cameras without special filters on the lenses, he adds.
Glasses for a good cause
Five high school students from Oakville, Ontario, came together to create the Monarch Butterfly Eclipse Project. Students sell CE and ISO certified solar eclipse glasses made from cardboard frames with a monarch butterfly design; the cheapest is a five-pack for $24.95.
Ellen Lentine, 16, says her idea started in 2017 when they used welding shields to view the partial eclipse in Ontario because they couldn’t find eclipse glasses.
Taylor Denton, 16, says they’ve been getting about 200 orders a day since Christmas.
“At first it was quiet before Christmas, but once people started hearing about the eclipse, it became very busy,” Denton said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca.
Lentine says all of its net profits will go toward protecting the habitat and population health of endangered monarch butterflies, which are primary pollinators.
“We connected those two because the migratory path of the butterflies mirrors the path of the solar eclipse,” he said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca.