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You can use your eclipse glasses to look at sunspots
STATES CHRONICLE – If you haven’t thrown away your eclipse glasses since August 21st, there are still plenty of reasons you should still keep them. Apart from recycling or donating them, you can still use them to look at the sun. NASA revealed there are some interesting phenomena you can still witness, and you get the chance to learn a lot of things about the sun.
Do you still have your eclipse glasses?
Shortly after the long-awaited eclipse was over, the volunteers from the Astronomers Without Borders collected used eclipse glasses for the purpose of donating them. These were supposed to be sent to children from poorer countries who are about to witness eclipses in the near future.
If you still have your glasses, there is something more you can do with them. NASA informed people they can wear the protective gear to check out the sun, and observe sunspots. These are cooler areas situated on its photosphere, which appear darker for a short period of time.
The glasses can be used to check out sunspots
Even if these sunspots are regarded as cooler, they are still quite hot. The sun’s surface reaches average temperatures of 10832 degrees Fahrenheit, or 6,000 degrees Celsius. As a comparison, the sunspots are about 1,500 degrees cooler than that. Even so, this is still an enormously high temperature.
These sunspots are not static. They move from one place to another on the surface of the sun, and change their size during the process. However, you might not get the spectacular view you would expect. If you are really dedicated about the study of these spots, there are several organizations which can inform you about it
Both the Space Weather Prediction Center of NOAA, and the Solar Dynamics Observatory of NASA keep a close eye on these sunspots. They can accurately predict when and where these spots can be easily observed, and should tell you how to get prepared for a safe viewing.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
