SMU to Provide Safe, Crisp Methods for Eclipse Viewing
SMU physics professors will use mirrors to project total eclipse of the sun on Monday into the rotunda of the historic Dallas Hall.
In addition, weather permitting, physics professor Steven Sekula will host for students and visitors a viewing tunnel attached to a telescope on the lawn of Dallas Hall.
The rotunda image and the viewing tunnel will provide crisp images of the eclipse, and also correspond to NASA’s recommendation to avoid looking directly at the sun, Sekula said. Both methods eliminate the need for certified glasses to avoid eye damage. A surge in demand has also made authentic safety glasses hard to find.
“There’s no sense risking your vision,” Sekula said. “This way, you can come out and enjoy the eclipse without damaging your eyes.”
Dallas is in the secondary shadow of the eclipse, so area viewers will see 75 percent of the total phase of the eclipse.
“That’s still quite spectacular,” Sekula said, noting that peak viewing will be around 1:09 p.m. The partial eclipse begins in Dallas at 11:40 a.m. and ends at 2:39 p.m., according to NASA.
