If you didn’t get around to finding a pair of eclipse glasses for Monday’s total solar eclipse, don’t worry, there are plenty of DIY options available to let you observe this skyward phenomenon. Here’s an easy one — make a pinhole viewer using a cereal box.
What you’ll need:
- An empty cereal box
- A piece of white paper
- A box cutter or scissors
- Aluminum foil
- Tape
- A safety pin, tac, needle, or a pen … basically something with a small, sharp tip.
All you need!
1. First, trace the piece of paper around the bottom of the cereal box and then cut a rectangle that’s the same size as the bottom.
2. Place the cut rectangle in the bottom of the box.
3. Seal the top of the box, and then cut one rectangle out of each end of the top.
4. Place aluminum foil over one of the rectangles and tape it on. Stab a tiny hole in the foil.5. The other rectangle end is for your eyeball. Look into the box with the aluminum foil end pointed towards the eclipse. The pin hole in the foil will let enough light into the box to project an image of the eclipse onto the paper at the bottom. That’s it! Here’s a video to help you visualize:
