Countryfile.com laid out how to make solar eclipse glasses at home with a cereal box, tin foil and a pinhole viewer. The homemade projector is meant for people who do not have official eclipse glasses, while the eclipse is set to be almost total from British soil, with 90-96% of the sun obscured depending on location.
The method uses a cardboard box, paper, tin foil, a pen, sellotape, drawing pins and scissors. You trace the bottom of the cereal box on white paper, cut it out and tape it inside the box, then cut two squares in the lid, seal the middle section, cover the left top corner with tin foil and poke a tiny pinhole in it.
Countryfile.com eclipse box steps
The right top corner stays open so you can look into the box while the sun travels through the pinhole. Countryfile.com said the viewer is ready once the hole is made, and it also said covering any cracks or corners where sunlight could sneak through can help. Adding an extra layer of paper around the box can make the inside darker, which helps the projected image stand out more clearly.
At the time of the eclipse, with the sun behind you, you point the bottom of the box at the ground and angle it so the light passes through the pinhole. You then look into the box through the open corner to watch the eclipse indirectly, instead of looking at the sun itself.
UK eclipse timing
The timing gives the instructions more weight for readers who want a quick, low-cost option today. Countryfile.com said the last total solar eclipse took place 27 years ago, and the next total solar eclipse will not occur in the UK until 2090.
That makes today’s partial-to-near-total event unusually visible, but not a reason to skip proper eye protection. The article said suitable eye protection is needed to fully observe a solar eclipse, and it warned that using ordinary sunglasses instead of official eclipse glasses can damage the retina permanently even for a few seconds.
Phone cameras and sun damage
The same caution extends to phones. Countryfile.com said pointing an unfiltered phone camera directly at the sun for more than a couple of seconds can melt or damage the internal sensor, so the homemade box is designed for indirect viewing rather than direct imaging.
For readers without official eclipse glasses, the practical route is straightforward: build the box before the eclipse, darken it as much as possible, and use it only as instructed once the sun is behind you. The homemade viewer is not a substitute for safe eye protection if you want to observe the eclipse directly.
