These are the places you can buy solar glasses for the eclipse

The great American eclipse is coming up fast, but if you want to truly take in the spectacle when the day goes dark Aug. 21, you’re going to need NASA-approved solar glasses, scientists say.

“When you get close enough to partial (eclipse), you actually begin to lose your blink instinct. As the Sun dims down, your retina has its own nerve endings, so you might be tempted to look up there, because you can and not feel pain, and the blink instinct doesn’t kick in with a dimmer Sun,” said Shawn Cruzen, executive director of the Columbus State University Coca-Cola Space Science Center. “Now that is when an eclipse can truly be more dangerous.”

Solar glasses have special filters that block harmful rays from the sun and allow you to view the eclipse safely. The problem is that some of the glasses on sale are scams that are not certified as safe. Glasses should have the ISO (International Standards Organization) reference number 12312-2 printed somewhere on their frame, Cruzen said. That’s how to know they are the real deal.

There are many places selling the glasses, both online and around town. Here is a list of your best bets for picking some up before Monday’s big event, according to the American Astronomical Society (as well as local vendors).

Make sure to give these locations a call beforehand, as supplies are selling out rapidly and some locations may not be participating in the sales. This list was last updated Aug. 17 at 2:00 p.m.

▪ Walmart

▪ Circle K

▪ Columbus Public Library on Macon Road: Giving away a limited amount Aug. 21 at 10 a.m.

▪ Pilot/Flying J

▪ Amazon has glasses in stock, and so do some other approved vendors like American Paper Optics, but demand is pushing prices higher and many products can only be ordered in bulk. The American Astronomical Society has created a more comprehensive list of approved online vendors, though many of them may be sold out of glasses.

This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 8:46 AM with the headline "These are the places you can buy solar glasses for the eclipse."