How to Make a Pinhole Projector For Safe Eclipse Viewing
Pinhole Projector Using a Box
Items You Will Need:
- a long cardboard box, shoe box, or tube
- scissors
- duct tape
- aluminum foil
- a pin or a thumbtack
- a sharp knife or paper cutter
- a sheet of white paper
What to Do:
- Cut a rectangular hole at the end of the box. You can tape 2 boxes together to make a long box. The longer the box, the larger the projected image.
- Using the scissors, cut out a piece of the aluminum foil slightly larger than the rectangular hole. Make sure the foil is completely flat and not crinkled.
- Tape the foil over the rectangular hole in the box.
- Use the pin to poke a tiny hole in the center of the foil.
- Tape the sheet of paper on the inside of the other end of the box.
- Stand with your back toward the Sun. Place the box over your head with the pinhole towards the Sun. Adjust your position until you see a small projection, a reversed image, of the eclipsed Sun on the paper inside the box.
Simple Card Pinhole Projector
The simplest and quickest way to safely project the Sun is with a projector made from only two pieces of cardboard or paper.
Items You Will Need:
- Two pieces of stiff white cardboard, e.g. two paper plates
- a thumbtack, a sharp pin, or a needle
To make a quick version of the pinhole projector, take a sheet of paper and make a tiny hole in the middle of it using a pin or a thumbtack. Make sure that the hole is round and smooth.
- With your back towards the Sun, hold one piece of paper above your shoulder allowing the Sun to shine on the paper.
- The 2nd sheet of paper will act as a screen. Hold it at a distance, and you will see an inverted image of the Sun projected on the paper screen through the pinhole.
- To make the image of the Sun larger, hold the screen paper further away from the paper with the pinhole.
A box projector works on the same principles, it requires a little more time and a few extra items to construct, but it is more sturdy.
