Amazon is warning certain customers of uncertified solar eclipse glasses that were posted and sold online.
Millions of people across a swath of North America, including parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada, will experience a few minutes of darkness in the middle of the day on Monday as the moon passes in front of the sun.
As a result, many have been flocking to purchase solar eclipse glasses needed to witness the spectacle in the sky. As it turns out, some companies appear to be profiting by selling illegitimate eye protection.
Breakfast Television received an email from an Amazon spokesperson following the sale of such solar eclipse eyewear. The product, which has since been removed from the website, was described as “Eyes Protection Paper Frame Glasses for Solar Eclipse Viewing.”
“The product listed was not included in the American Astronomical Society’s [AAS] list of safe suppliers of solar eclipse viewers and filters and, therefore, may not be safe for viewing a solar eclipse,” the email read.
“If you still have this product, out of an abundance of caution, we recommend you not use it for the upcoming eclipse on April 8 and review the following information for more details, including how to view a solar eclipse safely and how to identify unsafe eclipse glasses.”
The AAS does not recommend “searching for eclipse glasses on Amazon, eBay, Temu, or any other online marketplace and buying from whichever vendor offers the lowest price.”
Meanwhile, Amazon said refunds will be issued to those who purchased the alleged phony product.
“If you made this purchase for someone else, please notify the recipient immediately and provide them with the information,” the spokesperson noted. “The safety and satisfaction of our customers is our highest priority. We regret any inconvenience this may cause you.”
Residents are asked not to look directly at the sun during the eclipse, as it could cause permanent damage to their eyes. The only time to look at the eclipse without glasses is when the moon fully covers the sun during totality, which lasts only three or four minutes.
The AAS issued a statement on March 22 warning of counterfeit solar eclipse glasses. It noted that safe solar viewers block all but a minuscule fraction of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV), visible, and infrared (IR) light.
“We used to recommend that you make sure the eclipse glasses you’re buying come from one of the manufacturers on our list,” the AAS said.
“But now that we know that fake, unsafe eclipse glasses are being misrepresented as coming from at least one of these manufacturers, we need to urge a more cautious approach.”
In this photo taken Friday, Aug. 18, 2017, Poureal Long, a fourth grader at Clardy Elementary School in Kansas City, Mo., practices the proper use of eclipse glasses in anticipation of Monday’s solar eclipse. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
The AAS mentioned that there is a way to test solar eclipse glasses to ensure they’re genuine and safe. It involves a few steps, including wearing them indoors and staring at bright lights, which should appear faint, and then trying them outside on a sunny day. Very little light should be observed through the glasses.
The third step is staring at the sun with the glasses on for less than a second. The AAS says you should see a sharp-edged, round disk (the sun’s visible “face”) that’s comfortably bright.
“Depending on the type of filter in the glasses, the sun may appear white, bluish-white, yellow, or orange,” the AAS wrote. “If your glasses pass all three tests, they are probably safe.”
How to make a pinhole camera with everyday items for safe solar eclipse viewing
Regular sunglasses won’t block enough light, and NASA says even when the sun is 99 per cent obscured, it can still cause damage.
One way to observe the phenomenon is with a pinhole camera—more accurately described as a projector—that can be created with items most of us already have at home.
A basic pinhole projector can be made by pushing a pin through a piece of paper or cardboard to create a tiny hole. When you take that paper outside and cast a shadow with it on the ground, the bit of light that passes through the hole projects “a little tiny image of the sun” and allows safe tracking of the eclipse.
If you’re willing to put in a little bit more effort and want to engage kids in a fun activity, you can create a pinhole camera out of a cereal box, shoe box, or other cardboard box that is easily held to the eye.
For this project, you will need a piece of white paper, scissors, aluminum foil, a pin and some tape.
This eclipse will be the first total solar eclipse to be visible in Canadian provinces since February 26, 1979, the first in Mexico since July 11, 1991, and the first in the United States since August 21, 2017.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
