Thanks for the tip. Actually Mr Plait addresses the question of looking directly at the Sun with the naked eye in his book, Bad Astronomy. He discovered that "There is copious evidence that little or no long-term damage results from observing the uneclipsed Sun [with the naked eye]." But you're right: there's no point in taking chances. Whenever I observe the Sun, I always use AstroSolar filters.

Keep posting. You've got some great ideas.

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