Are you interested in helping us collect glasses?
Thank you so much for signing up as a Collection Node. We have 200+ collection hubs around the U.S.A. thanks to generous individuals who are donating their time in vetting and space for storage. We can no longer accept new collection hubs due to the many glasses we have collected.
Collecting and vetting of solar glasses after 2017 total solar eclipse across the United States
If you would like to receive information about how our program is going, please sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
F.A.Q.
What's the process of vetting the glasses?
Basically, you will be looking at the integrity of the lens and the housing of the lenses. The lenses need to be made sure to be free of punctures, scratches and bends and the housing, whether it be plastic or cardboard, need to be in good shape.
It's an easy visual process where each pair of glasses needs to be inspected. While easy, it can be tedious. Each pair will take about 1/2 a minute to inspect on average.
How long do you expect the glasses to be stored?
We are asking that your facility hold the glasses from a few months to years. The reason being is that there are only 2 solar eclipses per year. Please be assured that we will be actively seeking homes for the glasses. So you may be called upon to send your glasses any time of the year as many will be used for solar observation and education as well.
Who is responsible for the shipping costs?
A.W.B. is happy to provide the shipping fees for your vetted glasses. Many of our beneficiaries find their own funding to receive your generous donation of time and resources. We are also actively trying to seeking funding as well as partnerships with governments and embassies for getting your glasses to their new homes. You are very welcome to fund the shipping yourself. This can expedite their distribution as well.
How likely is it that these solar glasses will find new homes to be reused?
Very likely. The issue is not finding homes, it's timing and that really depends on how many vetted glasses we will receive and when. We collected millions of glasses from the 2017 eclipse, vetted down to 300,000 and now all of them have been distributed.
Does Astronomers Without Borders provide any collection bins and signs?
Unfortunately, we cannot provide physical resources at this time. However, you can download logos in our community member forum.
Is there a limit to the number of glasses that we can collect to be reused/redistributed?
We have not set limits to how many you can collect. We really leave that up to the collection nodes as this is a resource-based question. Questions you may want to ask your organization is: How many volunteers do you think you'll be able to recruit? How much space can you spare to store the glasses?
How much space will the glasses take?
To give you a good idea of the space needed to store the vetted glasses - when packed side-by-side, a 18x12x6 cardboard box will hold 2000 glasses. So, 50,000 glasses will make 25 boxes. Please note that you will be able to stack the filled boxes.
If you have more questions about the collection process, please contact us at collectionnode@astronomerswithoutborders.org
If you are interested in financially supporting this global program, please donate to our fundraiser here.
Note: AWB is a registered US 501(c)(3) Nonprofit
Collection Partners
Thank you so much for participating in our collection campaign, we are no longer collecting glasses and are currently reorganizing the program. Stayed tuned for upcoming information!