Solar eclipse 2024: Don't take photos of it with your phone, NASA warns | Mashable.
The solar eclipse is today — but don't take photos of it with your phone
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| Credit: Alones on Shutterstock |
In 2024, a rare total solar eclipse will pass over the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Millions will have the chance to see the moon completely block out the sun, revealing our star's ghostly atmosphere. It's a thrilling event. Here's everything you need to know.
I learned that my iPhone 15 Pro Max and the upcoming 2024 total solar eclipse do not mix. I stumbled upon BGR's article, which warned sky gazers about using their phones to take pictures of the imminent cosmic event.
If you're like me, you may be wondering "Why?" After all, who wouldn't want to snap a photo of such an awe-inspiring celestial occurrence?
As it turns out, taking a photo of the 2024 solar eclipse could damage your iPhone's camera hardware.
Why you shouldn't take a photo of the 2024 solar eclipse with your phone
In the same way that you shouldn't use a telescope or binoculars to gaze at the sun (you could melt your eyeballs off), you shouldn't use your phone's shooter — or any other poorly equipped camera — to take a photo of the solar eclipse.
BGR says that no smartphone is designed to handle the intense solar rays the sun emanates. "Using your camera or phone could cause the heat from the rays to become so concentrated that it could melt the lens inside," the tech outlet warned.
Days before the April 8 eclipse, NASA provided similar advice.
There is a workaround in that you can purchase filters for your phone and camera.
But I spoke with Mashable's science editor Mark Kaufman, and he strongly recommends simply enjoying the event with approved solar glasses, as opposed to trying to capture the celestial spectacle with camera filters (unless you're an astrophotographer, of course). After all, you have the best optics tool on your face: your peepers.
It must be emphasized that it's imperative that your eyes are protected. NASA recommends getting "ISO 12312-2" grade solar eclipse glasses that filter harmful light. The American Astronomical Society (AAS) has a list of green-lighted sellers, including Rainbow Symphony, which sells these solar eclipse glasses.
The historic 2024 total solar eclipse is set to make its trajectory from Texas to Maine on April 8. Mashable's Elisha Sauers, our space reporter, suggested some useful 2024 solar eclipse calculators to help you determine whether you're in its path.
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None, in Tangerang Indonesia
ReplyDeleteThis makes no sense; people take pictures of the sun with their phones all the time. If doing so caused damage to hardware, we’d all know it by now.
ReplyDeleteThought this site was different #unlike
ReplyDeleteDidn't Google post an entire article on how to take photos safely on your phone and then even you posted an article linking to that?
ReplyDeleteWow….!😳 What the hell are they going to tell us next???  In fact, you can use your plain camera on your phone and turn it just a little bit off to where you see the sun reflection on the other side of the screen and you snap the photo and you can zoom in on the reflection and see the crescent from the eclipse. In fact, I have an iPhone 15 Pro Max and it did it just fine lmfao🤣😂🤣🤷♂️🤦♂️
ReplyDeleteJust put the glasses over the camera lens.
ReplyDeleteThe phone picture without the filter will not show the crescents formed by the moon passing. It will just be a bright flash. The picture here is with a filter.
ReplyDeleteyou can very much take pictures with your phone.
ReplyDeletein fact put your solar glasses over the lens and zoom in
DeleteI stacked 6 pairs of sunglasses last year
DeleteYes take pictures with your phone.
ReplyDeleteTake lots. I take pics of full sun all the time.
Just dont use a dslr camera with a big massive zoom lens lol
I did last year.
It will not harm it in any way.
This Eclipse has proven how good Social Media is for spreading misinformation.
ReplyDeleteDid not happen here in South Africa
ReplyDeleteLiterally they say this because they don’t trust people not to look away from their phone at the actual sun without glasses on lmao
ReplyDeletehttps://giphy.com/gifs/RobertEBlackmon-reaction-what-sunglasses-qX7RrHo988hXrnwDgH
ReplyDeleteIt works if you take them through your glasses
ReplyDeleteI've taken tons (& a wide variety of them too ie short, long, video, diff times of the day, etc) of pics of the sun w my android smartphone well before & during this "eclipse" : Zero damage.
ReplyDeleteI mean, you can look directly at the sun when it's at it's brightest with your eyeballs too. People do it all the time.
DeleteBut it's still inadvisable to do it.
Don’t aim your phone camera lens at the sun for long periods of time without a special filter
ReplyDeleteCasually including the sun in a photo for a quick snapshot isn’t really a safety issue for the camera. It’s not that different from the many photos we typically take of sunrises and sunsets.
“But we would not recommend pointing it directly at the sun for extended periods of time with no filter,” according to Google’s Pixel camera team.
“There’s not really a case of damage there, provided you don’t try to do anything funny like just leave it out there with the camera open for a long time,” said Ed Krupp, the longtime director of the Griffith Observatory.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-03/how-to-take-a-photo-of-the-eclipse-without-damaging-your-phone
Out of all the concerns that NASA has about how a person used their smartphones during this solar eclipse, a person smartphone isn’t the problem. It has been addressed on every news outlet about how to enjoy this solar eclipse safely though their smartphones camera.
ReplyDeleteWhat should be concerning them is the rockets that they plan to launch into the solar eclipse pathway and how troublesome it may appear some of the public.
Bottom line….they don’t want you looking and finding out the lies they are puking out every day. NASA is getting desperate now because so many have discovered the truth. Not A Space Agency (NASA). This world is not what you think it is.
ReplyDeleteHere are some pics i have taken of the sun. You can download them and check the properties and see they were taken with my N20U.
ReplyDeleteWhat NASA didnt day is how todays smartphone cameras know exactly what filter to apply when taking sun shots, even when the sun is at it hottest point.
When the sun is orange at sunrise/set the sun is cooler in temperature and had less intense light and heat. Making it perfect for pics.
The hardest time tp take sun pics is when it closer to noon. Then is when the sun is at its highest point.
If the deadbeats who come to this page and talk shyt knew anything about science, the air is thicker closer to the ground. As the sun progresses and rises, the air is thinner which allows for more of the suns heat and light to penetrate earths atmosphere. That is why even in winter, it is usually warmer at mid-day vs early morning or at dusk.
But see the idiots here qho are so quick to call people ignorant and stupid, didnt go to school to learn, dont know jack aboit science.
Here is a link to some pics i took of the sun rising and setting. Feel free to download them and check the properties. You will see they were all taken from my Note 20 Ultra.
A couple of the shots were taken feom Navy Pier here in Chicago.
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AqR5szuB7qTc1TALMyI-1ePRWSfc
Typically the Angle plays a huge role in temperatures though. It's cooler at dawn and dusk because the sunlight travels at an angle to reach the earth, and is more direct (nearer the zenith) at midday. Same reason it's colder in winter and hotter in summer. More angle (larger incidence angle) means lower sunlight per area. For dusk and dawn, sun light does travel more in lower atmosphere to reach our eyes (it's also caused by the angle)
DeleteYou can look directly at the sun when it's at it's brightest with your eyeballs too. People do it all the time ("sun in the eyes"). But it's still inadvisable to do so.
https://sciencing.com/sun-intensity-vs-angle-23529.html
There are going to be so many photos taken with DSLRs, but somehow your smartphone won't survive...hmmmm
ReplyDeleteYes they got solar filters bud, think a bit before you make a comment that proves how unintelligent you are.
DeleteOnly if the filters are attached to the lenses. They aren't there as part of the hardware.
DeleteTypically a separate piece.
Safety always being priority.
ReplyDeleteMight take off from work today this solar eclipse s**t sounds scary 😂
ReplyDeleteWhat about taking a picture of a mirrored image of the eclipse. Just put a mirror on the ground and take the picture at an angle? Wouldnt fry anything, and might look cool.
ReplyDeleteLasers sure can.
ReplyDeleteThere is only one way to know for sure...
ReplyDeleteI've taken many time lapse videos of the Sun and not once damaged my phone.
ReplyDeleteNASA spouting nonsense as usual...
Yeah…those scientists at NASA…always spouting that nonsense. Thanks for that insight, random internet guy.
DeleteI posted a pink to some of my pics. Look at them and learn facts and not your stupid opinion.
DeleteI heard rumors that if I take a smartphone video of solar eclipse. I would gain powers and become the ECLIPSE. I wonder what powers does the ECLIPSE do?😋
ReplyDeleteGo away for 20+ years
DeleteI've taken pucs of the sun many times in the evening and even sunrises without any issue.
ReplyDeleteI think NASA is full of it.
MKBHD asked them a question about photographing solar eclipse, which is significantly more luminous than any of your sunset and sunrise photos you've taken in your life. The basic working principle of smartphone cameras and dedicated cameras is the same, and solar eclipse can fly the pixels even if you only expose it for a very short period of time. Never try to take a photo of it unless you have a solar filter (a powerful strong ND filter that can cut off 15-16 stops of light) that can be attached in front of your camera.
DeleteHe didnt even need to ask.
DeleteHere is a simple analogy. The camera lense is a mechanical version of the human eye. The shutter is similsr to blinking, the dmall lense is like your pupil. The area sround the camera lense served the same purpose ad your iris.
If you need protective glasses for your eyes, wouldnt it be reasonable to also think you would need the same for your camera?
He didnt need to ask. There is a wealth of information that explain exactly how to take perfect shots of almost any heavenly body.
I see it as a common sense thing. Though i know some peopne truly lack it, they are not the majority. Though all the stupid Instagram and TikTok videos will make many feel otherwise.
The makers of some of the largest telescopes in history ought to know that the magnifying glass comparison is wrong, if they're implying the ant killing most of us did at some point when we were kids. That bright focal point is halfway between the lens and the sensor. That said, leaving a phone exposed in the sun is generally a bad idea, so you will _eventually_ destroy the camera sensor if you keep it exposed to the sun. That is the effect the sun has on pretty much everything. But the relatively tiny lenses on phones shouldn't be able to generate extreme heat on a sensor. Not even the 10x ones. System cameras with super bright lenses is probably a completely different story.
ReplyDeleteHaving a filter will definitely be helpful, as even a sliver of the sun's light is so bright your phone won't have an exposure setting to compensate for that.
Another very good reason to not take photos of an eclipse is, if you're pointing your camera in that direction, you're very likely also looking in that direction. Which is a bad idea.
Don't take anything of what I wrote as definite science. I am not buying you a new phone if it does break. 😋