Reply #84: (Your journal is gorgeous!) Yes, the partial eclipses are very dangerous.

[Radio_Lady]

However, there were pictures of people during the last total eclipse not visible in Portland, Oregon -- they were still looking at the sun through what looked like exposed 35mm film. Terrible!

The world's newspapers tried to spread the word last month. Here's an article from Ghana.

http://www.graphicghana.info/article.asp?artid=11037

Eclipse Of The Sun — It Can Damage Your Eye

(3/15/2006)

Dr Yakubu Seidu Adams, Eye Specialist, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital has warned children to desist from watching the total eclipse of the sun which is to occur on March 29 this year.

He stressed that anyone who tries to watch the eclipse of the sun with the naked eye could become blind or develop serious eye defects.

Dr Adams said in an interview that the eclipse will offer pupils and students a unique opportunity to see a natural phenomenon that illustrates the basic principles of mathematics and science that they are taught in school.

He, however, explained that any person or group of persons who wish to observe this rare occurrence would need a specially designed goggles or sun filters as permanent eye damage could result from looking at the disk of the sun directly, or through a camera viewfinder.

“Children must know that improper viewing of the sun during an eclipse with items like ordinary sun shades, handkerchiefs or covering their eyes with colourful toffee wrappers could cause "eclipse blindness or retinal burns.”