The AP article about tomorrow’s total solar eclipse — which will be visible in parts of Eurasia and Africa — contains an egregious factual mistake that could have been avoided if the reporter, Kwasi Kpodo, had done rudimentary research, or if the AP’s fact-checkers had been a bit more careful:

Night will turn to day in the eclipse’s route and a corona will glow around the edges of the moon as it comes between the earth and the sun. But the corona’s light can burn eyes.

First of all, Mr. Kpodo obviously meant “day will turn to night,” not “night will turn to day.” Heh. (Hat tip: B. Minich.) But looking beyond that embarrassing slip-up, I’m more concerned about the “corona’s light can burn eyes” thing. That is simply NOT TRUE, and the error is significant.

It is the light from the Sun’s photosphere, not from the corona, that can burn people’s eyes. This is a crucial difference. It is indeed unsafe to look at the Sun during an annular or partial eclipse — and that includes the partial portion of a total eclipse, even mere moments before totality — but during totality, when the solar disc is completely obscured and only the corona is visible, it is safe to look directly at the Sun. Indeed, it is highly advisable to do so, if you want a decent view. During totality, you won’t be able to see much of anything through your solar filter. I quote NASA:

Certainly the most spectacular and awe inspiring phase of the eclipse is totality. For a few brief minutes or seconds, the Sun’s pearly white corona, red prominences and chromosphere are visible. The great challenge is to obtain a set of photographs which captures some aspect of these fleeting phenomena. The most important point to remember is that during the total phase, all solar filters must be removed! The corona has a surface brightness a million times fainter than the photosphere, so photographs of the corona are made without a filter. Furthermore, it is completely safe to view the totally eclipsed Sun directly with the naked eye. No filters are needed and they will only hinder your view.

Wikipedia also provides an excellent summary:

Contrary to popular belief, it is safe to observe the total phase of a total solar eclipse directly with the unaided eye, binoculars or a telescope, when the Sun’s photosphere is completely covered by the Moon; indeed, this is a very spectacular and beautiful sight, and it is too dim to be seen through filters. The Sun’s faint corona will be visible, and even the chromosphere, solar prominences, and possibly even a solar flare may be seen. However, it is important to stop directly viewing the Sun promptly at the end of totality. The exact time and duration of totality for the location from which the eclipse is being observed should be determined from a reliable source (local astronomers, etc.). Note that it is never safe to look at an annular or partial eclipse directly, because the Sun’s disk is never completely covered during this type of eclipse.

Had the AP reporter double-checked his facts with anyone having the slightest amount of expertise in solar eclipses — or, for that matter, with Google — this error could have been avoided. (I found the above info by googling solar eclipse corona safe viewing.) Instead, the AP is materially contributing the counterfactual “popular belief” that the Wikipedia article mentions. Basically, America’s premier wire service is spreading urban legends. Not exactly a journalistic triumph, that.

P.S. I e-mailed the AP, so hopefully they’ll issue a correction.