On Monday afternoon, a rare solar eclipse with near totality — between 83 and 90 percent — will be visible on the South Fork. Because looking directly at an eclipse can cause blindness, NASA urges eclipse viewers to take a critical safety measure beforehand: Obtain an ISO-12312-2-rated pair of safety glasses.
So, don't wait until the last minute to grab yours. Fortunately, people here can access such safety glasses in several places.
Warby Parker, an eyeglass shop on Main Street in East Hampton, is offering free eclipse glasses until its limited supplies are gone. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except for Sunday, when it opens at 11.
The East Hampton Library has 300 pairs to give out, but will not be distributing them before Monday, when an afternoon eclipse-viewing party is planned from 2 to 4. In Bridgehampton, the Hampton Library will also have them for patrons to pick up starting Monday morning.
In Sag Harbor, the John Jermain Memorial Library has already begun distributing eclipse glasses. The Sag Harbor Variety Store has a limited number of four-packs left, at a cost of $9.99 each.
The Montauk Library also has safety glasses available for patrons and "is giving them away like crazy," a library representative said on Tuesday morning.
In Amagansett, the library is giving them away as well: a maximum of two per family.
