A simple and safe way to watch a solar eclipse is with a box pinhole projector. It is easy to make from a cardboard box and ordinary household items.
Projector Using a Box
Items You Will Need:
- a long cardboard box, shoe box, or tube
- scissors
- duct tape
- aluminum foil
- a pin or a thumbtack
- a sharp knife or paper cutter
- a sheet of white paper
What to Do:
- Cut a rectangular hole at the end of the box. You can tape 2 boxes together to make a long box. The longer the box, the larger the projected image.
- Using the scissors, cut out a piece of the aluminum foil slightly larger than the rectangular hole. Make sure the foil is completely flat and not crinkled.
- Tape the foil over the rectangular hole in the box.
- Use the pin to poke a tiny hole in the center of the foil.
- Tape the sheet of paper on the inside of the other end of the box.
- Stand with your back toward the Sun. Place the box over your head with the pinhole towards the Sun. Adjust your position until you see a small projection, a reversed image, of the eclipsed Sun on the paper inside the box.
Using a Tube?
If you are using a long tube or taping two tubes together, cut the end of the tubes and tape the foil with a pinhole on one end. On the other end, tape a piece of white paper over the end of the tube. This will act as the screen. Close to this end, cut a rectangular hole using the knife. This will be your viewing window.
With your back toward the Sun, point the end with the foil toward the Sun, angling the tube along the Sun's rays. Look into the tube through the viewing window until you see a reversed image of the eclipsed Sun on the screen.