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Letter: Some safety tips for the eclipse

Total eclipse image taken Mar. 20, 2015 at Svalbard, Norway. Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and Courtesy Photo | P. Aniol/NASA

As we all know, a total solar eclipse will cross our continent on Aug. 21. It will show about 95 percent here in northern Utah about 10:30 a.m.

Warnings from your friend here:

1) Don’t look directly at the eclipse. Make very sure you use certified eye shades. I witnessed a big partial 50 years ago, and a neighbor woman standing next to me peered through several layers of Kodak film negatives, and it burned a permanent hole in her right retina. Blinded and it hurt her forever.

2) Don’t get scammed. Millions will travel to Idaho and Wyoming to see this wonderful event. Hotels are sold out and farmers are renting out plots among their crops.

But there are criminals online selling tickets to the eclipse. “Send me $100, print out the confirmation ticket, and redeem it at the state line. The border patrol will let you right in.” Yeah right.

Wishing you all a happy eclipse experience.

Michael Greer

Cottonwood Heights