Naturally a few us out there plan to stare at the eclipse today even though they know you're not supposed to. Here's why you really shouldn't . . .
Staring at the sun for too long causes a photochemical reaction in your retinas that can kill the cells. But you can't feel it, because you don't have pain receptors back there. And once it happens, it's irreversible.
A second or two might not hurt you. It's just like staring at the sun on a normal day. But if you glance three or four times, it adds up. And permanent damage can happen pretty fast, especially for young people.
A 71-year-old guy in Portland, Oregon has been speaking out about it. He stared at a partial eclipse with his right eye for about 20 seconds in high school. And he still has a pea-sized blank spot in his vision over 50 years later. So it's really not worth the risk.
The only time you CAN look at an eclipse is during "totality." Even if there's just a sliver of sun showing, don't do it. And if you bought eclipse glasses online, Google them to make sure they're legit, because there were some bogus ones on Amazon.
Also, be careful if you're driving during the eclipse. A lot people might try to look at it and stop paying attention to the road. They also might not turn their headlights on if it gets dark. And they might pull over on the side of the highway to check it out. So look out for people on the shoulder.
(Wherever you are, you can watch the eclipse online at nasa.gov/eclipselive.)