Make a Pinhole Projector for Eclipse Viewing

I'm a sucker for eclipses. Lunar, solar, full, partial. You name it. You just have to be armed and ready.

After all there's nothing better than a celestial event to get people to do things they don't normally do—stay up late, or go outside with anticipation. Or talk to complete strangers because they're sharing something extraordinary.

That's what it was like during the last solar eclipse I saw in 1992, in the middle of the workday. And of course, the advice then was the same as it is this week: Don't look at the sun. We all came out of San Francisco City Hall, where I worked, our little makeshift pinhole projectors. And we all oohed and ahhhed. And we talked to each other.

When came out, I rejoiced. It's a rare event. You won't see one for years! You gotta go outside!

But I don't recall seeing an eclipse, ever, when I was a child. So with this one, I'm determined to make it a learning event. I told my 6-year-old that we're going to see an eclipse, something I never got to do.

Following the very simple instructions, I decided to make a simple pinhole projector. There are variations on this. You can make it out of a long, narrow box. We went for no-fuss. It's the principle that matters here:

1. We cut up a recycled cookie box into two pieces.
2. We cut a square hole in it (why square? Who knows?)
3. We covered it with aluminum foil.
4. We poked a pin through the foil.
5. And then we took it outside for a test drive.

You can follow along with the pictures. Your results may vary.

Have fun! That's the point.

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