Cut a 1 inch (2.5 cm) square in a cardboard box. Cut into the short side of a cardboard box. This way, the light shining through the hole can travel the length of the box to the other side. Letting the light travel the length of the box will enlarge the image. You should use a box that is no less than 6 feet (1.8 m) long to produce a clear, viewable image.[1] X Research source If you do not have a cardboard box that is 6 feet (1.8 m) long, you can cut smaller pieces of cardboard and tape or glue them together to make a box that is the appropriate length. Make sure the pieces are joined completely and that no light shines through the places where they are connected. Cover the square with aluminum foil. Tape a piece of aluminum foil over the hole in the box. Aluminum foil will block excess light from shining through the hole you created. Be sure that the foil is pulled tight so that it is smooth.[2] X Research source Make a small hole in the foil. Use a toothpick or a needle to prick a hole in the center of the aluminum foil. This will allow just a small amount of light to be focused through the hole and projected at the other end of the box. This will provide an image of the sun

that is safe to look at.[3] X Research source Tape up your screen. To improve the quality of your image, you can project it on a white screen. The easiest way to do this is to take blank white paper and tape it at the end of the viewer (furthest from the hole). One sheet of paper is sufficient.[4] X Research source Aim the pinhole at the sun. In order for your viewer to capture the an image of the sun, you have to aim it. Avoid looking at the sun to aim the viewer. Instead, point the viewer in the general direction of the sun and then move it around slowly until you see the sun on your screen.[5] X Research source View the image of the sun. Once you have the sun on your screen, it is safe to look at. You do not need any safety glasses or other special equipment. The image is much less intense than actually looking at the sun.[6] X Research source Be safe. You should never look directly at the sun. Even doing so briefly can damage your eyes. You have to use a solar viewer to project the image or buy special glasses and/or telescopes that filter out enough light to be safe.[7] X Research source Sunglasses will NOT protect your eyes from the sun. Only special filtered lenses will be

safe. Watch for patterns. If you are serious about studying the sun, you can watch for patterns. Look for sunspots in your image (they will show up as dimmer spots on the image). Observe the sunspots over time and see how they move.[8] X Research source To make accurate comparisons, you should observe the sun from the same place every time. Brush up on your math skills. You can use some basic measurements of your image and viewer to find interesting facts about the sun. This is because the image you are viewing is a scaled down image of the sun. Even though it's smaller, it is proportional to the actual sun. For example, you can find the diameter of the sun by following these steps:[9] X Research source Divide the diameter of the image by the distance from the pinhole (the length of the box). Multiply that answer by the distance between the earth and sun (approximately 150,000,000 kilometers or 93,000,000 miles) Find other ways to watch the sun. You can watch the sun without a specially made solar viewer. Find a tree or other object that provides shade. If there are any holes or spaces in the object, you can study the spots of sun that shine through. You can also hold your hands up

and study the sunlight that shines through the spaces between your fingers. Put white paper or cardboard under whatever you are using to view the sunlight and look at the image of the sun on the paper or cardboard. Keep in mind that you should never look directly at the sun.