Sævar Helgi disputes eclipse safety guidance from Iceland’s health office

Sævar Helgi Bragason, also known as Stjörnu-Sævar, says information published by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer on how to use solar eclipse glasses is incorrect, mbl.is reports.

The guidance contains contradictory instructions about eye safety during the solar eclipse, according to Bragason. Iceland will experience a total solar eclipse on August 12, the first visible in the country since 1954. Many people have obtained solar eclipse glasses to watch the partial eclipse before and after totality.

The Chief Medical Officer’s website correctly states that eclipse glasses must be worn throughout the partial eclipse. However, it also says that viewers should put on the glasses during totality, watch the Sun for a few seconds and then look away before repeating the process.

Bragason says that instruction is wrong. He has repeatedly explained that eclipse glasses are not necessary during totality itself.

“During totality, it is safe to look at the Sun,” Bragason told mbl.is. He said viewers can see the solar corona around the Sun, adding that it is only slightly dimmer than a full moon.

He said glasses should be worn during the partial eclipse, but not during totality. Viewers can look at the total eclipse without glasses for the entire period and do not need to take breaks, he said.

Bragason also rejected the suggestion that viewers need to pause while watching the partial eclipse through the glasses, saying it is not dangerous to watch continuously through them.

He has published videos on social media explaining how and when to use eclipse glasses, including for children and people who already wear ordinary glasses. He also runs the website solmyrkvi2026.is, which provides information about the eclipse.