SOLAR ECLIPSE

A solar eclipse will be visible to the north of Europe May 31, 2003. His observation may cause eye disorders. Even if it takes place very early in the morning, the risks are not negligible. Make sure you have special glasses.

This eclipse will take place at sunrise . It will be visible in France in the form of partial eclipse in the north-east , north of a line joining Caen in Annecy. The occlusion will occur in Alsace up to 80% and decrease gradually as the distance from this region. This phenomenon will remain very low on the horizon and ends when the sun reaches a height of only 6 °.

This situation is very different from a spectacular eclipse, like that which took place August 11, 1999, in the middle of the day. However, even if they are low at this early hour, the risks to the eye of a direct observation, especially among children, are not zero.

An eclipse of the sun may be responsible:

• of retinal burns related to the direct effects, thermal and photochemical solar radiation on the retina. Such effects may be irreversible and lead to permanent impairment of vision;
• of corneal lesions .

Health authorities therefore call on to take advantage of this phenomenon in safe conditions and thus provide themselves with protective glasses specifically designed to look directly at the sun . They are available in number of opticians and pharmacists .

All other systems of fortune , like sunglasses, ray movies or just sunglasses, are largely inadequate. Also, be aware that an eclipse can never be observed with optical instruments such as binoculars or a telephoto lens.