CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The eclipse is getting close!
So close, in fact, that if you haven’t gotten your hands on a pair of eclipse glasses, you could be out of time very soon. And speaking of the glasses, Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich has been bombarded with questions about the glasses and what steps pet owners may need to take to protect their furry friends on eclipse day.
First of all, your pets won’t need eye protection. Panovich said they won’t look to the sun just because it gets dark.
“Your dog doesn’t look at the sun on any other day,” Panovich said. “It’s not going to look directly at the sun.”
In fact, people don’t have to have eclipse glasses if they don’t plan on staring at the sun during the event.
“I think a lot of people think the sun is going to be super intense or something on that day and it’s going to burn you if you go outside, but that’s not the case. It’s just the regular sunshine,” Panovich said.
Remember, the sun is dangerous every single day if you stare at it directly. The only reason you need eclipse glasses is so you can safely stare at the sun without burning your eyes. The risk of burning your eyes is no greater than on a normal day when it comes to staring at the sun.
We know better than to stare at the sun, just like our pets know better than to stare at the sun during the day. The eclipse will be no different.
“Don’t worry, it’s a fun thing and the glasses are for protecting your eyes when you stare directly at the sun, which is something we normally don’t do because we know better,” Panovich explained.