DID YOU KNOW THERE’S A PARTIAL ECLIPSE TODAY?
If you’re planning to photograph today’s partial solar eclipse, experts say you can use your phone, but there’s one very important catch: protect the camera lens during the partial phases. Pointing an unprotected camera directly at the sun can potentially damage the sensor.
The solution? Put a certified solar filter over your phone’s camera lenses. And we’re talking an actual solar filter — not sunglasses, a napkin, or that one pair of eclipse glasses you’ve had sitting in the glove compartment since 2017.
And remember: your eyes need protection, too. Don’t stare at the sun while trying to line up the perfect shot. Your phone camera is replaceable. Your eyeballs are considerably harder to return.
Once you’re safely set up, tap on the sun on your screen and lower the exposure to reduce glare. But don’t expect your iPhone to suddenly produce a NASA-quality close-up. Smartphones are better at capturing the whole experience — the strange shadows, eerie lighting and suddenly confused-looking neighborhood — than getting a crystal-clear shot of the sun itself.
And honestly, the best advice might be the simplest: take a picture, then put the phone down.
Because today’s eclipse is pretty rare. And there’s no need to spend the entire thing staring at your screen trying to get the perfect Instagram picture while everyone around you is actually enjoying it.
Protect your eyes. Protect your phone. Take the picture. Then look up.