Solar eclipse | Imamother

amother

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 7:29 am

Ok, what’s the real story about Monday afternoon?
Is it really unsafe for the kids to be out then? What will the schools do- my kids come home during that time?

I can’t trust my little ones not to look at the sky while on the bus.

I’m totally not a paranoid type- but do I need to pick them up early?
What’s the real deal?

amother

Oldlace

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 8:00 am

You’ll never hear the “real deal” anywhere.

Honestly - seems like a big hype for no reason. Eclipse has been going on forever - and ALL OF A SUDDEN NOW it’s a national emergency and cause of alarm? Something is off.

patzer

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 8:16 am

East Ramapo school district is officially ending school at noontime on Monday.
I don't know what the Jewish schools are doing. Sunny

amother

Poinsettia

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 8:23 am

Beyond hyped up. I was on an outdoor trip with all my kids during the last one. Which they didn’t hype up as danger btw. And nothing happened to any of us. We did wear the glasses for 2 minutes to look up and then we just continued on our way. I don’t know anyone who has damage from it, and they did not give serious warnings. Not sure why it’s a huge deal suddenly.

amother

Poinsettia

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 8:27 am

Apparently the govt is insulted and handing out hugs to let us know their disapproval on this thread. 🙄

Amelia Bedelia

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 8:37 am

amother Poinsettia wrote:

Of course they hyped it up last time too. I remember people laughing on here how absurd it was how people were so anxious for their kids...

amother

Poinsettia

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 8:39 am

Amelia Bedelia wrote:

Of course they hyped it up last time too. I remember people laughing on here how absurd it was how people were so anxious for their kids...

Wasn’t anything like this. The whole world was out and about. We were not the only ones on vacation enjoying the fresh air. Maybe being that it was August and no one was in school the govt had way less control over us.

amother

Daylily

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 8:40 am

I actually did hear of a frum kid who developed eye issues because of looking at the last one. I think I was told he had burns on his retina but I don’t remember.

cbsp

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 8:40 am

From here (not quoting the entire article but it looks somewhat reliably informative)

https://www.verywellhealth.com.....23337

Why Can Looking at a Solar Eclipse Damage Your Eyes?
Looking directly at the sun with your naked eye, particularly during a solar eclipse, can cause solar keratopathy, or mild corneal burning (photokeratitis), Bryce St. Clair, OD, FAAO, assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine, told Verywell in an email
This eye condition usually develops after unprotected exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, photokeratitis damages and exposes the underlying corneal nerves, potentially causing intense pain, sensitivity to light (photophobia), and a sensation of foreign objects in the eye.
....

“When exposed to intense sunlight like during a solar eclipse, the cells in the retina can become damaged and cause long-term vision issues,” Benner said. “Essentially, it’s like getting a sunburn on the most sensitive spot of the retina.”

Even brief exposure lasting just a few seconds can cause solar retinopathy, resulting in mild to moderate loss of central vision. It can be permanent in some cases, Kasra Rezaei, MD, associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Washington, told Verywell in an email.

.....

Wondering why this can happen when the sun is blocked from your view? When there isn’t much light around, as is the case during an eclipse, the pupil expands to allow in more light. Even though there will be less visible light from the sun during a solar eclipse, the amount of UV radiation remains high. When the pupil expands to accommodate for low light, the UV radiation can cause damage to cells in the eye.

How to Know If You Have Eye Damage
Most of the time, people watching the eclipse without proper eye protection will not experience any symptoms or damage at first. That’s because the eyes have no pain receptors, St. Clair said. However, they may see a central “blind spot” seconds to minutes after their exposure, depending on how long the exposure lasts.

Benner added that it can take a few hours to a few days after viewing the solar eclipse to realize the damage that has occurred.

“The time it could take for damage to occur depends on several factors, such as the dilation of the pupil and the sun’s intensity on that specific day,” he said.

amother

Poinsettia

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 8:42 am

amother Daylily wrote:

I actually did hear of a frum kid who developed eye issues because of looking at the last one. I think I was told he had burns on his retina but I don’t remember.

Is this a first hand account? You know the kid?

amother

Slateblue

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:24 am

amother Oldlace wrote:

Definitely something off.
Evil government plotters.
Or Joe Biden.
🙄

But seriously, if anyone’s interested in our perspective there’s a lot in religious sources about what causes an eclipse (both in astronomy and in spiritual causes) and what effect it has. Without telescopes or other instruments, our ancestors knew a very long time ago how the earth, moon and sun align to cause an eclipse and how to calculate when it would happen.
If you want to ask how an event that can be predicted and is caused by the movement of celestial bodies can have spiritual causes, the Maharal already asked the question as did others. The answer is too deep for me to write out but worth looking into.

amother

Eggshell

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:44 pm

amother Poinsettia wrote:

Is this a first hand account? You know the kid?

I’m a different poster, and first hand know a kid. Might be a different kid. It’s no joke. Don’t take a chance!

amother

Pewter

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:53 pm

amother Daylily wrote:

I actually did hear of a frum kid who developed eye issues because of looking at the last one. I think I was told he had burns on his retina but I don’t remember.

I know someone who knows the kid. He was watching the eclipse without glasses. He burnt his retina. He can only see peripheral vision now.

icedcoffee

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:53 pm

People are making a bigger deal about it because this is a total solar eclipse which is much rarer than the partial eclipses that happen more often. The next total eclipse visible in North America won't be until 2033. So you're hearing more hype because this is a more rare and significant event.

However, even partial eclipses have always gotten a lot of buzz about safety. People have always worried about being outside without glasses, looking directly at the sun, and what to do with children. Not sure anyone is freaking out at a different level than usual, but there is more hype because it's a total eclipse.

amother

Periwinkle

Fri, Apr 05 2024, 12:02 am

patzer wrote:

East Ramapo school district is officially ending school at noontime on Monday.
I don't know what the Jewish schools are doing. Sunny

My daughters school gave out glasses today and announced they’ll be taking the kids out of class Monday afternoon to watch!

Not sure about the boys- but the incentive for saying tehilim over Purim was getting rewarded with liki chamah glasses!

seeker

Fri, Apr 05 2024, 12:19 am

amother Oldlace wrote:

Lol which eclipse has been going on forever? It's infrequent overall, and extremely rare in any given location. My kids said the next one to reach NY will be when they're in their 60s, but we hope to be in Eretz Yisrael by then so when is their next eclipse? Turns out the last one was over a THOUSAND years ago and the next one is still some two hundred years off.

You want to talk about going on forever, in ancient times these things were considered apocalyptic because nobody had ever seen anything like it in their time.

The reason there is more to-do about this one is because it's passing near/over many big cities so more people are affected/are able to access it. If it would be passing over remote areas with low population there would be some people traveling to see it but most would shrug and say too bad, missed it.

amother

Oak

Fri, Apr 05 2024, 12:24 am

My kids school is having later dismissal, after the eclipse. They'll be getting glasses & watch from school.
It's not dangerous to be outside then. It's dangerous to look at the eclipse without glasses.

amother

DarkViolet

Fri, Apr 05 2024, 12:25 am

My kids schools are taking the older grades out. They purchased glasses for everybody. The younger grades will stay inside and watch a livestream. They are dismissing later than usual to wait for the eclipse to be over and not have dismissal until it's safer to be outside.