Warby Parker is celebrating next week’s solar eclipse by giving out safe viewing glasses starting Monday.
The free glasses will be available at all Warby Parker stores while supplies last until the day of the astronomical event April 8, according to the company’s website.
Sky watchers will need the special glasses if they want to witness the event safely with their own eyes. Approved eye wear contains filters that are many times darker than sunglasses and block nearly all light.
Warby Parker said the free glasses are certified to that standard, known as ISO-12312-2. The company has several locations in Chicago. The stores will be able to provide up to two pairs per family.
Once the stores run out of glasses visitors will be provided with a pinhole projector, which is another way to safely experience the eclipse, the company said.
The American Astronomical Society has a list of approved providers that sell eclipse watching glasses that are tested to meet safety standards. The Adler Planetarium will also hand out safe viewing glasses the morning of the eclipse.
The eclipse will start around 12:50 p.m. on April 8 in the Chicago area. At its peak, which will only last for a few minutes, the moon will appear to cover about 94% of the sun.
The only circumstance where it is safe to take a brief peek at the eclipse without proper protection is within the narrow path of totality as the moon obscures 100% of the sun, revealing the sun’s corona.
Those who decide to forgo eye protection risk burning their retinas, which can lead to permanent impaired vision.
Downstate Carbondale was under the path of totality in 2017 and will be again this year. Several events are planned there ahead of the event.
