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How To Safely Make DIY Solar Eclipse Viewers At Home Ahead Of The August 12, 2026 Total Eclipse Event
With a total solar eclipse set to sweep across parts of the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland and Spain on August 12, interest in do-it-yourself eclipse viewing tools has surged — but safety experts and space agencies are cautioning that not every homemade option is safe for the eyes.
According to NASA and the National Solar Observatory, looking directly at the sun without proper protection can cause permanent eye damage, and that risk applies during a solar eclipse just as it does on any ordinary day, except during the brief window of total darkness known as totality. Outside of that narrow period, any glimpse of the sun’s bright surface — even a thin sliver during a partial eclipse — can harm the retina, since the eye lacks pain receptors that would otherwise warn of the damage occurring in real time.
The August 12 eclipse will be total along a path crossing a remote stretch of northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain and a small corner of Portugal. Much of Europe, North America and northwestern Africa will see only a partial eclipse, meaning the moon will cover just a portion of the sun’s disk rather than blocking it entirely. For viewers along the path of totality, NASA says it is safe to remove eye protection and look directly at the sun only during the short period when the moon fully covers it — and protection must go back on the instant any sliver of sunlight reappears.
For those hoping to build their own viewing equipment rather than buy certified glasses, safety officials say there are really only two legitimate do-it-yourself paths, and they are not the same thing.
The first, and by far the safest option for anyone without access to certified equipment, is an indirect method that does not involve looking at the sun at all: a pinhole projector. The concept is simple. A small hole poked into a piece of cardboard or an index card, held so sunlight passes through it and lands on a second surface such as another card, a wall or the ground, will project a small image of the sun’s crescent shape during the partial phases of the eclipse. Because the viewer never looks directly at the sun, and instead observes its projected image, the method carries essentially no risk to eyesight and requires no special materials beyond basic household items.
The second path — building an actual pair of wearable eclipse glasses — is more involved and requires sourcing the correct material rather than improvising with household substitutes. According to the National Solar Observatory, homemade filters and ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun under any circumstances, regardless of how many layers are stacked together. The only safe way to look directly at the sun’s bright surface is through solar filter material specifically manufactured for that purpose and certified to the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard. That standard limits the amount of visible, ultraviolet and infrared light that reaches the eye to levels considered safe for direct solar viewing.
Genuine do-it-yourself eclipse glasses can be assembled at home, but only by purchasing pre-certified ISO 12312-2 solar filter sheets from a reputable supplier and mounting them into a simple cardboard or paper frame, rather than attempting to fashion the filtering material itself. The American Astronomical Society, the leading professional organization for astronomers in North America, maintains a list of verified, safe suppliers of solar filter material and eclipse glasses, and safety experts recommend checking any product against that list before use, particularly given a history of counterfeit eclipse glasses circulating around past eclipse events that failed to provide adequate protection despite carrying misleading safety labels.
For observers who already own welding equipment, the American Astronomical Society has said that welding filters with a shade rating of 12 or higher can also provide safe direct viewing, with shade 13 or 14 generally considered closest in darkness to standard eclipse glasses. Ordinary sunglasses, smoked glass, exposed photographic film, polarizing filters and stacked layers of dark plastic are all explicitly not considered safe substitutes, regardless of how dim the sun appears through them.
Anyone planning to photograph the eclipse or view it through binoculars, a telescope or a camera lens faces an additional layer of risk. NASA and other experts warn that a solar filter must be attached to the front of any such optical device, not simply held up to the eyepiece, since the lens will concentrate sunlight to a degree that can damage both the equipment and the eyes almost instantly. Wearing eclipse glasses while looking through unfiltered optics is not a safe workaround, experts say, since the concentrated light passing through the lens can burn through the glasses’ filter material.
Timing will also matter for viewers hoping to catch the moment of totality. According to eclipse path data, totality is set to begin over Iceland at 1:45 p.m. Eastern time and reach Spain by 2:28 p.m. Eastern time on August 12. NASA has said it will provide live coverage of the eclipse beginning at 1:15 p.m. Eastern time, including footage from telescopes positioned along the path of totality and from a high-altitude research aircraft tracking the moon’s shadow, for viewers outside the path who want to watch the event unfold in real time.
With demand for certified eclipse glasses expected to rise as the date approaches, safety officials are urging anyone planning to view the event directly to secure verified protective equipment well in advance, rather than relying on last-minute homemade alternatives that may not meet the safety standards needed to protect their eyesight.
These companies, seeking to collectively raise around ₹45,000 crore, could face potential delays in their fundraising plans, therefore, if the September 30 deadline is breached.
Read more: Can Milky Mist IPO deliver long-term growth for high-risk investors?Companies have a year from the date of regulatory approval to launch their issue. This April, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) gave a one-time relaxation to issuers for whom observation letters were due to expire between April 1 and September 30, allowing until September 30 to launch their IPOs. This was done to help the companies ride out a period of extreme volatility in risk assets in the immediate aftermath of the West Asian crisis and soaring oil prices.
The markets regulator had also allowed companies to increase or change issue sizes by up to 50% without filing fresh draft papers, compared with the earlier limit of 20%.
AgenciesBankers UpbeatCredila Financial Services, Dorf-Ketal Chemicals India, Continuum Green Energy, Veritas Finance, Prestige Hospitality Venture and Innovatiview India are among the companies for whom the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) approvals are set to expire by September 30, according to Prime Database.
There are 52 days between August 10 and September 30, but after adjusting for weekly offs and the trading holiday for Ganesh Chaturthi on September 14, the window shrinks to 35 working days.
Bankers, however, are not unduly worried, as oil prices have retreated and overseas funds have turned occasional buyers after AI-spawned valuations in east Asia began unraveling.
“There remains enough time for a number of issues to hit the market because several IPOs are already lined up through mid-August, and September 30 is still some distance away,” said Kaushal Shah, managing director and head of equity capital markets, Kotak Investment Banking.
Eight IPOs have been launched in August so far, raising a combined ₹10,636 crore, after 12 issues raised around ₹28,649 crore in July. In the first seven months of 2026, 39 IPOs raised ₹51,000 crore despite uncertain secondary market conditions.
Shah estimates IPOs worth around ₹40,000 crore lined up in July-August.
LONG PROCESS
Refiling of a fresh DRHP is usually not the preferred option. This is because the process could entail fresh costs of ₹3-5 crore, repayment of Sebi filing fees, updated audited financial statements, fresh legal due diligence and another 60-90 days of Sebi review cycle, according to independent market expert Deepak Jasani.
To avoid the refiling process, “some companies have either lowered valuations, reduced issue sizes or completely deferred the launch in response to market conditions,” said Pranav Haldea, managing director of Prime Database Group.
The pushback from institutional investors on IPO valuations has also prompted companies to postpone share sales, as with Zepto.
Karamtara Engineering, Imagine Marketing, Mouri Tech, Ravi Infrabuild Projects, Greaves Electric Mobility, Lumino Industries, Runwal Enterprises, RITE Water Solutions, LCC Projects, Prozeal Green Energy and A One Steels India are among the others that would look to launch their IPOs before September 30.
The pipeline extends well beyond the September rush. Apart from the 34 issues nearing the deadline, another 133 companies with Sebi approval are collectively looking to raise more than ₹2.22 lakh crore through IPOs by the end of July 2027, according to Prime Database.
“The decision ultimately comes down to a trade-off between pricing and timing. Issuers who believe they are not getting fair value may wait for more favourable markets,” said Shah.
The proposed bond issue is expected to be priced at about 9.50%, although the final coupon is yet to be determined and will depend on market conditions and investor demand, they said.
The proceeds will be used to refinance DIAL’s existing dollar-denominated notes of $522.6 million that are due this year, along with transaction and hedging costs related to the existing debt and the new bond issue. DIAL had raised $522.6 million through 10-year international bonds in October 2016 at a coupon of 6.125%.
In a significant regulatory shift, Sebi is set to increase the cap on the number of annual debt security ISINs maturing. This initiative is designed to alleviate liquidity challenges and refinancing stress faced by Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and major corporations. Furthermore, Sebi recommends exempting ESG debt securities from these limitations and advocates for the removal of mandatory listing on all previous unlisted debt offerings.
“The refinancing will allow DIAL to replace the maturing dollar debt with long term rupee funding, while spreading repayment over several years,” said one of the persons, who did not wish to be identified. “The structure also gives the airport operator the flexibility to refinance or redeem the bonds after five years.”
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A DIAL spokesperson did not respond to ET’s queries.
DIAL is targeting a mid-October pay-in for the proposed issue and plans to finalise investors this month, according to the transaction details. The bonds are expected to carry an AA rating. Interest will be paid every quarter. DIAL plans to repay the principal in stages from the sixth year, with 5% due each year in years six to 10, 10% in years 11-13, 15% in the 14th year and the remaining 30% in the 15th year.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on X that the company has the option to backstop up to $125 billion, or 25% of the poential deals.
The move highlights how surging demand for AI computing capacity is drawing institutional investors, as governments, companies and startups race to build out data centers to support AI workloads.
Big Tech companies have signaled that spending on AI would not slow down, with combined outlays set to surpass $730 billion this year.
Nvidia signed memorandums of understanding with Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs and KKR for the financing platforms.
The initiative is intended to broaden access to Nvidia-based infrastructure among frontier AI developers, enterprises, governments and cloud providers, while creating longer-duration, usage-linked investment opportunities for large asset managers and private capital firms.
“These financing platforms will help customers access scarce compute at scale and build the AI factories that will power every industry and country in the age of AI,” Huang said.Nvidia said the arrangements would “create dedicated pools of capital at significant scale at attractive rates” for its customers.
The company did not disclose the financial terms, investment commitments by individual firms or a timetable for deploying the planned $500 billion.
The Financial Times had reported the development first on Monday, later confirmed by Reuters.
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Zoox CEO Aicha Evans discusses the launch of paid autonomous robotaxi rides in Las Vegas and addresses NHTSA safety concerns, vehicle production targets and plans for expanding the driverless service on ‘The Claman Countdown.’
Zoox CEO Aicha Evans agreed that autonomous vehicles should be regulated as the Amazon subsidiary’s fleet of autonomous vehicles launched its first paid service in the United States in Las Vegas Monday.
In June, one of Zoox’s robotaxis drove into heavy smoke at an active emergency scene in Las Vegas. Zoox issued a software recall following the incident and has since updated the technology to better detect and respond to fire and smoke.
Evans told FOX Business host Liz Claman the company believes in transparency and taking responsibility.
“These are rare edge cases,” Evans told “The Claman Countdown” on Monday. “We learn and we continue to improve our processes along the way to make them better and better.”
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Zoox, an autonomous vehicle in operation in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on April 27, 2026. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“Sometimes it’s software, sometimes it is firmware, sometimes it is just using simulation,” she added. “We throw the best at it, we root cause, we learn, we improve and we deploy.”
Evans’ remarks come as federal officials press autonomous vehicle (AV) developers to improve interactions with first responders and emergency personnel, warning that failures to do so could pose a serious risk to public safety.
“To state it bluntly: an AV that cannot safely interact with first responders is a danger to the general public,” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Jonathan Morrison wrote in July.
Evans, who thanked Morrison for his partnership in advancing American innovation, said she believes autonomous vehicle regulation is necessary.
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Aicha Evans, chief executive officer of Zoox Inc., speaks during the Bloomberg Technology Summit in San Francisco, California, US, on Thursday, June 22, 2023. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“I want to unequivocally say we agree with the administrator and the administration and the regulatory agency. We need to be regulated,” she said. “And EV scenes are extremely important, because it’s about saving lives all around.”
After providing free Zoox rides in Las Vegas since 2023 under a three-year pilot program, the Amazon robotaxi brand officially began charging customers for rides on Monday.
“We have essentially, so far, the same number as people who are taking free rides,” Evans told FOX Business.
Unlike competitors such as Waymo, which retrofits regular cars for driverless operations, Zoox’s vehicles are pedal-free, steering-wheel free and passenger-focused. The robotaxis feature face-to-face campfire-style seating for up to four passengers.
A woman steps into a Zoox fully autonomous robotaxi that was displayed at the Line Hotel during the South by Southwest Conference and Festivals on Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Austin. (Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Roughly 65 Zoox are currently deployed in Las Vegas and Evans said production is “ramping up,” with the company’s California factory is doubling output to five to six vehicles per day.
The CEO also told FOX Business where the company could expand next, beyond Las Vegas, San Francisco, Austin and Miami, where Zoox currently operates pilot programs.
“We will be entering Atlanta and LA and… we have big ambitions,” Evans said. “We want to be everywhere where we are welcome and show and deliver these wonderful and lovable experiences to customers around the U.S.”
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