The run on the special eclipse-viewing glasses is done, so what do you do with the hoarded pairs of the cardboard and plastic specs that will be sitting around and collecting dust after Monday’s celestial show?
You could do as many probably did, toss them. Or you can keep them as a scrapbook addition or memento.
One thing you may not want to do, is stash them away for the next solar eclipse in 2024. That’s because some glasses may be good for about three years, and that’s if you don’t throw them in to the junk drawer where they could be subject to scratches, rendering them dangerous to wear during the next eclipse, Staten Island Live reported.
NASA said that guidance is outdated, adding that glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2 safety standard should be good indefinitely, according to NASA.
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To see if your glasses meet the standards, click here.
Donations are an option, too. Astronomers Without Borders is looking to collect the glasses that were passed out and sold for Monday’s eclipse and redistribute them in South American and Asian schools in 2019 when another solar eclipse will happen in about two years.
Give your #eclipseglasses 2nd chance! We will b collecting glasses 2 S.Amer & Asia schools 4 eclipse'19. Info coming.Don't waste. Donate! pic.twitter.com/wNlH6Eyc4D
— Astro w/o Borders (@awb_org) August 19, 2017
A similar program occurred in 2013 to send glasses to west and central Africa. Organizers collected 13,700 glasses that were distributed to schools in eight countries, Smithsonian Magazine reported.
Other groups say check with schools or rec programs to see if they can use the glasses for astronomy activities, Time reported.
A final option is to recycle them. Take out the lenses and recycle the cardboard frames. As for the lenses, contact a local camera shop to see if they will take them to recycle with camera film, USA Today reported.
While most of the country saw a partial eclipse, in which the sun is only partially blocked by the moon, other areas went into total darkness as the moon moves in between the sun and the Earth.
The totality reached the West Coast of the United States ‘ between the Oregon cities of Newport and Lincoln City ‘ at 10:16 a.m. PT. That is 1:16 ET.
The eclipse ended at 2:49 p.m. ET as the moon’s shadow moves off the Atlantic coast.
Here’s what happened across the U.S.:
Aug. 21, 2017 4:00 PM EDT
Thanks for joining us to experience #Eclipse2017! Join us again in 2024! Check out our image gallery: https://t.co/lg7SdbOHwh pic.twitter.com/ToS124gcRO
— NASA (@NASA) August 21, 2017
Tremendous!!! https://t.co/lTCaOj75sr
— Jason Brewer (@JBrewerBoston25) August 21, 2017
From Shepherd Hill Regional High School Dudley MA @KevinBoston25 @AresSTEAM pic.twitter.com/fmEp2P0ZhU
— Claudette Eagleton (@Eagle1Health) August 21, 2017
3:00 PM EDT
The view of "peak" #PartialSolarEclipse from #DerryNH #NHwx through #iPhone and eclipse glasses… had more fun seeing people looking! pic.twitter.com/0BRSlJBKxF
— Photos By Keri (@PhotosByKeri) August 21, 2017
Full #SolarEclipse my sister shot in #columbiasc @FOX29philly @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/50muQqF2HN
— Mike Masco (@MikeMasco) August 21, 2017
We were at 99% in Athens but it still got real dark at Sanford Stadium. #EclipseOn2 pic.twitter.com/gq1ed2RcK5
— Richard Elliot (@RElliotWSB) August 21, 2017
Watch the moon's shadow move across the US in this geocolor loop from #GOES16! See more #SolarEclipse imagery @ https://t.co/1oNaGe1dLN pic.twitter.com/uJbEVQin6V
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) August 21, 2017
Voila! The #Eclipse2017 shadow from @Space_Station, no words needed // Voilà! L'eclisse vista dalla Stazione Spaziale, non servono parole… pic.twitter.com/7kD5AYb5zj
— Paolo Nespoli (@astro_paolo) August 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/felix2471/status/899711133673762820
Unreal experience seeing the total solar eclipse in Charleston today. #eclipse #eclipseon9 pic.twitter.com/osX87YUOBr
— Vicki Graf (@VickiGrafWX) August 21, 2017
Crescent now facing the other way as the moon slowly pulls away. Event ends just after 4pm. Amazing sight to see totality! pic.twitter.com/YbtPk0H7Yb
— Greg Suskin (@GSuskinWSOC9) August 21, 2017
Totality!!! #eclipseOn2 #SolarEclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/y5DSHDCBpA
— Justin WSB (@WSBTVCameraMan) August 21, 2017