Answer 1:
The sun emits something like 3 x 1026 Joules per
second of energy. This is equivalent to a light
bulb that is 1026 Watts!!!! So even
though the
intensity of sunlight falls off with distance
according to 1/R2, the intensity of raw
unfiltered sunlight is enough to burn out the
cornea.
You should NEVER look directly at the
sun. Simply put, the flux of photons is
overwhelming and it will overload your vision
system ...i.e. you will go blind!!! Even in
partial eclipse, enough light is still intercepted
to be dangerous.
There are ways (filters) that
can be used...but don't risk fooling around with
this unless you know what you are doing. Anyway,
there is little to be gained looking at the
sun. Consult the magazine ASTRONOMY or SKY AND
TELESCOPE (available at BORDERS). To get a listing
of solar and lunar eclipses and also info on how
the SAFELY view the solar ones. The lunar ones are
always safe since the light reflected from the
moon is low intensity....
Good luck.
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