Astrophysicist warns: Safely viewing August 12 solar eclipse requires waiting for darkness

Spanish astrophysicist Jorge Pérez Gallego has cautioned that observing the total solar eclipse on August 12 is only safe during the brief period of complete darkness, when the sun is entirely hidden.

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When the eclipse reaches 100%, it really gets dark: only then can you take off your protective glasses to look at the Sun and see what is always hidden: the solar corona.

During this totality phase, viewers can safely remove their protective glasses to witness the sun's corona, a phenomenon usually obscured by the sun's brightness. Pérez Gallego described the event as an "unimaginable magnitude" natural occurrence, where the sun appears dark and is surrounded by a white corona. While the eclipse will be total in parts of Europe and the Arctic, it will only be visible partially from the United States.

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It is a natural event of unimaginable magnitude. The Sun will have turned dark and a white corona will have emerged around it.

Experts like Marcos Pérez, director of the Coruñeses Scientific Museums, concur that removing glasses during totality offers the most spectacular view. However, both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) strongly recommend keeping protective glasses on during all partial phases of the eclipse. The critical safety advice emphasizes not removing glasses before the 100% occultation begins and quickly replacing them as the sun reappears. This is particularly important because dilated pupils during the dark phase are more vulnerable to sudden exposure to the sun's intense light, increasing the risk of damage.

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If you don't take them off, you're going to miss the most spectacular image of the phenomenon.