An Almost Impressive View of a Partial Solar Eclipse

I was lucky enough to be in Mexico City when a partial solar eclipse passed through yesterday. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to procure NASA-approved eclipse glasses (be careful about scammers!) and I only had a few minutes to prepare after finishing a morning class. After frantically Googling “how to see eclipse without glasses”, I landed upon an explanation of how to create a camera obscura with two sheets of paper. I wasted no time grabbing a pair of notecards, punching a tiny hole through one of them, and running to the roof just in time for the eclipse’s maximal coverage. In the slightly eerie, slightly dim daylight of a partial eclipse, this is what I managed to conjure:

Yeah, I know, it’s not exactly the James Webb Telescope, but I still enjoyed this rushed and impromptu scientific experiment. Next April, a total solar eclipse will pass through northern Mexico and much of the United States, so I vow to be way more prepared next time.