Yes, you can hold eclipse glasses in front of your phone’s lens to take pictures

If you’re looking to capture the Solar Eclipse later today, NASA has a warning for you.

The space agency has confirmed that pointing your phone’s camera towards the sun can fry its sensor, just like any other camera.

In a tweet reply to @MKBHD, NASA added that this is especially true if you plan to use any sort of magnifying lens attachment on the phone.

We asked our @NASAHQPhoto team, and the answer is yes, the phone sensor could be damaged just like any other image sensor if it’s pointed directly at the Sun. This is especially true if you’re using any sort of magnifying lens attachment on the phone. You would need to utilize…

— NASA (@NASA) April 4, 2024

The space agency recommends using a proper phone solar filter, just like you would with a dedicated camera, and if that is not possible, you can hold a pair of eclipse glasses in front of your phone’s lens while snapping the picture.

When the eclipse is in its totality phase, you can feel free to ditch the filter temporarily and snap a photo normally.

In Canada, the totality will be visible from certain cities in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. You can check if you fall in the path of totality here.

Image credit: NASA