So, the US is gearing up for a rare phenomenon – the August 21 total solar eclipse, when the path of totality will cross 14 states in the US, from the West coast to East coast, for the first time in 99 years. Naturally, the excitement is palpable and people are doing everything they can do to be able to witness the total eclipse, and do it right.
Of course, merchandise for safe eclipse viewing is flooding the markets. One such offering is from Swedish car-maker Volvo, which has come up with ‘Moonroof Eclipse Viewer’ for its 2018 XC60 SUVs. The moonroof viewer is basically an oversized shade made from ISO certified 12312-2 material that can be clipped on to the SUV’s moonroof with help of pre-installed magnets. While the moonroof shade offers protection from harmful sun rays during the eclipse, allowing you to witness it without wearing any eye gear or risking eye damage, here’s why Volvo’s proposition seems like a terrible idea:
For one, the total solar eclipse is a rare, larger-than-life phenomenon that must be witnessed in an environment befitting its stature. Viewing the eclipse should be more of a communal experience, where you can share the excitement and anticipation of the big moment unraveling in front of your eyes with your people. After all, it makes for that story you can recount at the dinner table for years to come, for the benefit of posterity. And craning your neck to look out from a small hole in your car roof doesn’t exactly say grandeur. It is, at best, a sad manifestation of how our existence has been contained by the comforts of technology.
And second, you don’t want to be stuck out on the highway in choking traffic even as the moon devours up the mighty sun before getting on its way again. The total eclipse will be fleeting in nature and you wouldn’t want to spend that time torn between having to keep your eyes on the road and wanting to look up at the sky. It is perhaps for this reason that the federal government has labeled the upcoming eclipse “one of the largest driver distractions in years”. More than 200 million people live in close proximity of the eclipse’s path of totality. This means an untold number of people, eager to catch a glimpse of the eclipse, are expected to hit the roads and head for destinations from where the phenomenon will be visible in its full glory. Given these odds, viewing the eclipse from your car isn’t the best bet.
Yes, the 2018 XC60 SUV is a comfortable, swanky offering, just not the best to place to watch the solar eclipse from. However, these moonroof shields can come in handy if you are going to driving on the day of the eclipse anyway and want some added protection from the harmful sun rays.
Source: CNET
