NASA has warned eclipse watchers that pointing a phone camera at the sun could result in damage to the lens.
As today's total solar eclipse is due to cross the U.S. this afternoon, millions of Americans are expected to descend on its path of totality for a glimpse of the rare astronomical phenomenon. The eclipse, the first of its kind in the U.S. since 2017, will cross the continent of North America, starting in Mexico before entering the U.S. and leaving via the northeast into Canada.
A slew of safety advice has been issued for eclipse goers, including using special viewing glasses and wrapping up warm for a sudden temperature drop. But one user of social platform X posed the question of whether the eclipse could actually damage devices like smartphones if the camera is being used to try and capture the moment.
"I cannot for the life of me find a definitive answer to whether or not pointing a smartphone at the solar eclipse will fry the sensor," Marques Brownlee asked on X. "Tempted to just take a phone I don't need and point it at the sun for 5 minutes to find out the real answer myself. In the name of science."