BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — It's been a few weeks since the total solar eclipse graced the sky here in WNY, and you may find your eclipse glasses still lying around your house. But don't throw them away! Here's what you can do with them instead.
If your glasses are in good shape and meet safety standards, hang on to them for future cosmic events.
You're probably wondering what kind of cosmic event? Well, frequently, there are sunspots on the surface of the sun. Sunspots occur more often during the period of our sun's solar cycle called the solar maximum. They form over periods of days to weeks and can remain on the surface for months before eventually disappearing NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center estimates that the solar maximum is occurring now through early 2026.
Even without a telescope, it is possible to observe sunspots with eclipse glasses when you have a good view of the sun. They are dark, planet-size regions of strong magnetic fields on the surface of the sun. They can trigger eruptive disturbances such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections which can spray plasma a million miles away from the sun.
If you do not want them anymore, you can donate your eclipse glasses to help others in need. Astronomers Without Borders will send them around the world to underserved communities that are on the path of future eclipses.
READ MORE: Not sure what to do with your used eclipse glasses? Here is where you can recycle them
If you want to choose another route, you can save the lenses and toss the frames in with your recycling.
The next total solar eclipse that will occur in the United States won't be until August 23, 2044.
