How to make a DIY solar telescope using five essentials that everyone has at home

AS a rare solar eclipse is set to sweep across the UK today, stocks of the specialist glasses have been almost completely depleted. Luckily, these common household items can be used to fashion an alternative method for viewing the spectacle. The DIY solar telescope take just minutes to make – and won’t break the bank Credit: Leila Battison Securing the circular piece of paper at the end of the scope will allow you to view the spectacle safely and indirectly Credit: Leila Battison With solar eclipse glasses in high demand – and increasingly low stock – Brits should begin to consider alternate ways for watching the rare phenomenon. Thankfully, with just tinfoil, a cardboard roll, tape, paper and scissors, it’s possible to create your very own DIY solar telescope. Sign up for the Tech newsletter Thank you! But before you get started it’s important to note one thing: do not point it directly at the sun (or in this case the solar eclipse) as you risk permanent damage to your eyesight and potential blindness. Instead, use the home-made telescope to indirectly project the eclipse onto a piece of paper. Now, according to Dr Leila Battison, you will need to first draw around the bottom of the cardboard tube onto a white piece of paper and cut out a circle. Battison said: “That will be your screen. But before we stick that in place, we need to create a little window.” This can be done by cutting out an arch from the end of the roll and then the white circle can be stuck across the bottom using the tape. On the other end of the cardboard roll, flatten the aluminium foil over the opening – making sure it’s completely smooth – and poke a singular hole in the centre, using a toothpick or the tip of the scissors. Most read in Tech Now complete, she adds that to use it, “all you need to do is point the aluminium end at the sun, and line it up so the bright spot lands on the white paper. “Right now that spot is a complete circle, but during the eclipse you will see that circle turn into a crescent.” The Met Office has shared when the sun will be obscured the most across the UK Credit: Met Office Set to take place between 6pm and 8pm today (August 12), the majority of the country will see at least 90 per cent solar coverage. Brits have been reminded that it is not safe to use to view the sun directly, even when using DIY methods such as the solar telescope or normal sunglasses. Comment now