Health officials and astronomers across southern Europe are urging caution ahead of a solar eclipse on August 12, warning that looking directly at the sun without certified protection can cause permanent retinal damage without any immediate pain.
The eclipse will be visible as a partial event across Italy shortly before sunset and as a total eclipse from much of Catalonia and Valencia. The Italian Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Bietti Foundation, published safety guidelines stressing that only eclipse glasses meeting the ISO 12312-2 standard are safe. Experts caution that conventional sunglasses, welding masks, and X-ray films offer no adequate protection, and children face heightened risk.
NASA advises removing protective glasses only during the brief seconds of totality, while astronomers note no safe unprotected viewing window exists where the eclipse is partial. The University of Valencia will livestream the event on YouTube as an alternative.