You can actually damage your eyes if you look directly at the sun. On clear days with no clouds, we rarely look at the sun because it’s so bright. However, when it’s overcast, we sometimes catch a glimpse of the bright white sun’s outline. But which is more dangerous—looking at the sun on a clear day or when there are clouds?
In case you didn’t know, it’s actually more damaging to look at the sun when there are clouds. First, clouds don’t provide any Ultraviolet [UV] protection. Second, they reduce the brightness, causing your eyelids to remain wide open, allowing more UV rays to enter. That’s why it’s important to wear sunglasses even when the sky is overcast.
Well, the same rule applies to your camera—except, of course, there are no eyelids. Taking direct photos of the sun can damage both your eyes and your camera sensor. The lens acts like a magnifier, concentrating the sun’s intensity onto your camera’s sensor. While photographing sunsets and sunrises is generally safe, pointing the lens directly at the sun is not recommended—something I did that morning.
I really enjoy photographing the sun (in this case, the sunrise) just as much as I enjoy capturing the moon. And the clouds, too—they often form fascinating shapes that make for great shots.
That morning, I woke up and saw this massive ball of fire hanging on the horizon – rising sun. Of course, it wasn’t actually that dark; the darkness comes from the settings I used.
As a result, I think I captured some sunspots at the bottom and top of the sun. However, on the top, there was something else that disappeared in the next photo. I can’t quite figure out what it was—perhaps a bird flying by or an airplane.
Unfortunately, with my camera, I only captured small dots, but since they remained in the same spot across all the images, I can only assume they were sunspots. I know the images here are too small to clearly show them—these dots are very tiny. And, of course, remember never to look directly at the sun! Sunspots are areas of disturbance on the sun caused by intense magnetic activity. Often, if strong enough, this magnetic activity can send out solar flares, which have the potential to affect power grids, satellite signals, and GPS devices.
Enjoy the sunrise photos, and just remember: don’t look at the sun the way I did—through my lens!
