Solar eclipse 2024: Why wearing red or green could enhance your solar eclipse experience
A total solar eclipse will plunge millions of people into darkness from Texas to Maine in just a few weeks on April 8, and while solar eclipse glasses will help you safely enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime event, that isn’t the only thing that will enhance the experience.
That’s because choosing the right colors to wear won’t just be about looking good – there’s a science behind the reason why experts at Solar Eyeglasses say you should think about wearing red or green.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT APRIL'S TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
A map showing cities along the 2024 eclipse path of totality. (FOX Weather)
First, let’s go back to high school: We learned in anatomy class that our eyes use millions of rods and cones to be able to see.
In normal daylight, our eyes use the cone cells of the retina to see colors clearly and function best under bright light conditions, which is called photopic vision.
But as it starts to get darker, our eyes switch to the rod cells, which are better for low-light vision, or scotopic vision.
WHO WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE APRIL 2024 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE?
A map of the total solar eclipse path and totality start times across some U.S. cities. (FOX Weather)
A few minutes before the eclipse becomes total, Solar Eyeglasses says we enter the intermediate phase known as the mesopic vision zone. It’s not too bright and isn’t too dark, but the colors don’t seem to be as vibrant and turn grayish or silvery.
During that time, our cone cells will receive less stimulation, which will lead to a decrease in the vibrancy or saturation of colors.
This is noticeable with warm colors like red and orange.
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But green will pop and look much brighter against the dimming surroundings.
This is due to the Purkinje effect, which changes how we perceive colors in low light.
Monks wearing solar filter glasses watch a "ring of fire" solar eclipse at the Gaden monastery in a Tibetan colony in Teginkoppa. (Photo by Rakesh Nagar/AFP via Getty Images)
"This Purkinje effect during the coming eclipse will turn the whole experience from just watching the sky go dark to a real-life science demo on your clothes," a Solar Eyeglasses spokesperson said. "But to really see the changes in color saturation, lots of people need to wear these complimentary red and green colors. Two or five in a group of 100 wouldn’t help."
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So, if you’re among the millions of lucky people to be in the path of totality, skip wearing the neutrals like black, white, gray or brown if you don’t want to fade into the background.
Instead, consider wearing red or green – colors that won’t only enhance the experience but will also give your eclipse photos a vivid splash against the dark backdrop.