The total solar eclipse is just three days away, and time is running out to find eye protection and camera lenses. But there’s a combination of a device and an app that could solve that problem in one fell swoop.
Solar Snap is designed to help you protect your eyes while viewing a solar eclipse, as well as take photos of the eclipse as it happens. The package comes with a Solar Snap camera filter that attaches to the back of an iPhone or Android phone, along with solar eclipse glasses to protect your vision during the event.
After attaching the filter to your phone, you can use the free Solar Snap Eclipse app to zoom in on the eclipse, adjust exposure and other camera settings, and finally take photos of the eclipse.
Solar Snap was founded by Douglas Duncan, a former Hubble Space Telescope astronomer, who wanted to take better pictures of a solar eclipse using only a phone camera. However, when Duncan, who currently serves as an emeritus faculty member at the University of Colorado and former director of the university’s Fiske Planetarium, looked for a solution, he couldn’t find one.
“In recent eclipses, I’ve seen a lot of people trying to take commemorative photos with their phones and failing,” Duncan told me. “Something had to be done! I spent the pandemic inventing and testing the Solar Snap.”
Here’s what you need to know about the app, as well as some general eclipse photography tips.
Read more: Are your solar eclipse glasses safe to use or fake? Here’s how to find out
This is one of Duncan’s composite images from the 2017 solar eclipse.
Solar Snap app
Because Solar Snap has a very specific purpose, it’s not necessarily useful on a day-to-day basis. But it should be especially useful on April 8, when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and causes a total solar eclipse over North America. The Great American Eclipse, as it has come to be known, will reach Mexico’s Pacific coast at 2:07 PM ET on April 8 and then travel from Texas to Maine until it moves off the East Coast of North America at 3:35 PM ET.
As exciting as it is (and rare — the next total solar eclipse over North America won’t happen until 2044), solar eclipses come with their fair share of risks. During an eclipse, and especially just before and after a total eclipse, or when the Moon completely blocks the Sun, looking at the eclipse without protective glasses can cause severe eye damage. Similarly, you can suffer significant eye damage if you view the eclipse through binoculars, a telescope or, yes, a camera or smartphone lens without a filter.
Solar Snap aims to solve that problem by providing camera and eye filters, allowing you to view the eclipse and take photos without worrying about eye safety. And with its app settings designed to optimize image quality, it promises to provide beautiful views of the eclipse that you’ll enjoy long after it’s over.
“I built automation into Solar Snap,” Duncan said. “If you put your phone on a tripod, at the beginning of totality, you can remove the filter (don’t hit the phone!), press the ‘totality’ button and it will take photos of everything during totality, while you watch the eclipse.”
The $19 Solar Snap Kit is now available — and today is your last chance to buy it in time for it to arrive before the eclipse. The kit comes with two pairs of phone filters and goggles each, along with two sets of Velcro to attach the filter to the phone. The Solar Snap app is available in Apple’s App Store and Android app markets such as Google Play.
More tips for photographing eclipses
Space.com reports that more than 44 million people will experience totality during the eclipse on April 8, and likely most of them will try to snap a photo or two. Here are some tips.
- Whether you’re digging out the fancy camera gear or keeping it simple, practice your setup before eclipse day. If something goes wrong or you forget the supplies you needed, you don’t want to find out after the eclipse has already started. Depending on where you look, it only takes 3 to 5 minutes. NASA suggests practicing taking pictures of the Moon.
- You probably want to get a certified solar filter to attach to your camera. It will protect your eyes and allow you to take photos while viewing the eclipse through your lens.
- The best photos will be taken with DSLR cameras or as we used to call them just “cameras”. But let’s be real: most of us will just do the best we can with our phone cameras. NASA suggests not counting on your phone’s autofocus — you’ll have to do it manually, by tapping the screen, holding your finger on the moon to lock focus, then dragging your finger up and down to adjust the exposure.
- You could also buy an inexpensive zoom lens that attaches directly to your smartphone camera. “Digital zoom will not work to produce a magnified, clear image,” warns NASA.
- Remember, however, that you don’t want to get too caught up in taking photos of the eclipse that you forget to enjoy the experience itself. After all, there won’t be another chance until 2044.
CNET’s Gael Cooper contributed to this article.