President Joe Biden posted a warning as the public prepares to view the solar eclipse sweeping across the United States on Monday afternoon.
“An eclipse is worth marveling at,” the White House posted on X along with a video of himself putting on solar eclipse glasses and staring up at the sun.
He also wrote, “But don’t be silly, folks — play it safe and wear protective eyewear.”
In addition to the president, NASA is warning sky gazers that it is not safe to stare directly at the eclipse without specialized eye protection for solar viewing. Anyone viewing the moon completely blocking the Sun’s bright face should wear sun-protective glasses because it can lead to permanent eye damage due to retinal burns.
Social media users have been quick to respond to Biden’s post, noting that former President Donald Trump was famously photographed during the last solar eclipse in 2017 when he momentarily viewed it without the protective glasses.
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The last visible solar eclipse in the U.S. was on Aug. 21, 2017, and the next solar eclipse will not happen again until Aug. 22, 2044.
The total eclipse will start in Mexico’s western coast at 11 a.m. local time and then cross 15 states in the U.S. It will cross the Midwest around 1:30 p.m. Central time and reach Canada around 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. However, the National Weather Service is predicting cloud cover for various states along the trajectory of the eclipse, including parts of Texas, Arkansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.
FAA is predicting numerous travel delays in airports and on roads due to the solar eclipse viewing across the country.
