Here's what to know before you try to view the solar eclipse with your phone camera

Anthony Robledo and Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal
·4 min read

Yes, you can capture the solar eclipse on April 8 with your cellphone, but not in its full glory.

Though looking at the "ring of fire" on your cellphone screen won't damage your eyes, Scott Fisher, an astronomy lecturer at the University of Oregon told USA TODAY, there is a concern that the sun could be too overwhelming for some cell phone models.

There might be a technical limitation where the sun doesn't appear large enough on the screen to view it well.

"If you take a picture of the sun with the cell phone, the sun is teeny tiny on your screen. It might only be a few pixels across," Fisher said.

Viewers will have an easier time taking a photo of the eclipse than a video as there is less exposure time with a still image, Fisher added. He recommends using a tripod while recording a video or leaning your phone against a stable object to avoid hand jitters.

It's never safe to look directly at the sun during an eclipse without the appropriate eyewear protection as the solar radiation can damage the retina, according to NASA.

Regular sunglasses do not count as eclipse glasses, NASA experts say, regardless how dark they are.

"Safe solar viewers are thousands of times darker and ought to comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard," according to the space agency.

According to space.com, ISO-approved glasses must meet the following requirements:

  • No more than 0.00032% of sunlight may be transmitted through the filters.

  • Filters must be free of defects including scratches, bubbles, and dents.

  • Handheld viewers must cover both the right and left eye.

  • Product labels must include the manufacturer name, instructions for safe use and warnings of any dangers of improper use.

How to photograph a solar eclipse with a phone

Using the right solar filter in front of a camera, including the one on a cell phone, can protect your device and your eyesight, Carly Stocks, a Utah-based photographer who captures images of the sky, shared.

The filter must be made specifically for solar viewing, Stocks said. She recommends purchasing the ones that screw in front of a lens but said taping one on would also do the trick.

Stocks urges people to place a filter that is larger than the lens itself and to keep it on at all times during the viewing experience.

"There's not a time where the sun won't be strong enough that it could damage your eyes or your camera sensor," Stocks said.

Can I watch the solar eclipse in selfie mode?

Placing a solar filter over the front camera lens will still capture the sun during the solar eclipse but won't make the best selfie.

"It's just going to be completely black and you're going see like this tiny little sun," Stocks said.

Stocks said you could use a solar viewer or a sheet of solar filter to cover the sun in the frame and get a picture of the sun. However, she warns that using a smaller filter risks the chances of damaging your phone while you try to frame it.

NASA advises against using eclipse glasses or handheld viewers with cameras but said a special solar protector could be placed in front of one. The agency recommends seeking service from an astronomy or other expert before dong so.

How can I watch the solar eclipse without glasses?

If you don't have eclipse glasses, it's best to use handheld viewers and cover both eyes when viewing.

More: Where to get eclipse glasses to experience the total solar eclipse safely in Kentucky

An alternative for experiencing the fiery eclipse would be creating a projector box using cardboard and aluminum foil.

How to make a do-it-yourself eclipse viewing projector

Here's how to safely make an eclipse viewer and the best way to use it:

  • Get a cardboard box, a white sheet of paper, tape, scissors, and piece of aluminum foil.

  • Punch a pinhole into the aluminium foil.

  • Tape it over one side of the box.

  • Tape the white sheet of paper to the inside of the other side of the box.

  • Stand with the sun behind you.

  • Light will stream through the pinhole and project a crescent sun onto the white sheet of paper in the box.

  • Look into the box through another hole you cut into the box to see the projected image.

  • Do not look at the sun through the pinhole.

Where can you view the solar eclipse's path of totality?

The path of totality will be viewable in the following U.S. states:

  • Kentucky

  • Indiana

  • Ohio

  • Tenneessee

  • Illinois

  • Missouri

  • Michigan

  • Arkansas

  • Texas

  • Oklahoma

  • Pennsylvania

  • New York

  • Vermont

  • New Hamphshire

  • Maine

Contributing: Eric Lagatta, Mary Walrath-Holdridge and Natalie Neysa Alund

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to watch the solar eclipse with your phone