How to safely view the 2024 solar eclipse: Where to find eclipse glasses in Tennessee

The Great North American Solar Eclipse will be taking place on Monday, April 8. The eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean and will cross over Mexico, the United States and Canada.

In the U.S., the eclipse's path will begin in Texas, and travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. A small portion of West Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the eclipse, said NASA. 

In order to have the best, most successful viewing of the space spectacle it is important to be prepared with adequate, certified eclipse glasses. Furthermore, it is imperative to practice eye safety to avoid causing eye damage.

What retail chains in Tennessee will be selling eclipse glasses?

Eclipse glasses can be found at the following retailers, however it is recommended to call your local retailer's location to inquire. Other retail chains carrying eclipse glasses include: H-E-B, Wegmans, Meijer, and Menards.

• Kroger
• Walmart
• Cracker Barrel
• Lowes
• Buc-ee's
• Warby Parker

Should eclipse glasses be purchased online?

The American Astronomical Society does not not recommend purchasing eclipse glasses on Amazon, eBay, Temu, or any other online marketplace. Before solar viewers or filters are purchased online, make sure that the devices are coming from a reputable seller.

To view a list of trusted North American manufacturers, visit eclipse.aas.org.

Can you re-use old eclipse glasses?

If you safely stored your glasses from the last solar eclipse in 2017, you may be able to re-use them this time around. There are however, important factors to consider.

You should inspect the glasses for any signs of wear and tear, if they have expired and if they meet the current safety standards. If your old eclipse glasses' expiration date has elapsed, you should discard them and buy new ones. 

"If your eclipse glasses or viewers are compliant with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard, you may look at the un-eclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through them for as long as you wish. Furthermore, if the filters aren't scratched, punctured, or torn, you may reuse them indefinitely," said NASA. "Some glasses/viewers are printed with warnings stating that you shouldn't look through them for more than 3 minutes at a time and that you should discard them if they are more than 3 years old."

Can you view the 2024 solar eclipse through regular sunglasses?

No, no matter how dark they are, it is not recommended to use regular sunglasses during the solar eclipse.

How to practice eye safety during the 2024 solar eclipse

NASA does not recommend looking at the sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device or using a handheld solar viewer while wearing eclipse glasses, as the solar filters do the same job as the glasses to protect the eyes.

Wearing eclipse glasses and using optical devices can cause the concentrated solar rays to burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury, said NASA.

Other important safety guidelines to follow during a total solar eclipse according to NASA include:

• View the sun through eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer during the partial eclipse phases before and after totality - when the moon completely obscures the sun.
• You can view the eclipse directly without proper eye protection only during totality, you’ll know it’s safe when you can no longer see any part of the sun.
• Immediately put your eclipse glasses back on or use a handheld solar viewer as soon as you see even a little bit of the sun reappear.

Diana Leyva covers trending news and service for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter at @_leyvadiana