Right up until Monday morning, eclipse viewing glasses could be found for sale at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and countless other businesses around Oregon.

By noon Monday, thousands of pairs of glasses had outlived their usefulness, at least in the immediate area.

Glasses manufactured to comply with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard should be reusable indefinitely, provided the lenses are not punctured or scratched, according to NASA. However, eclipse glasses stuffed into a glove box or junk drawer will be gathering dust for quite a while.

A partial solar eclipse will be visible over portions of Central and Southern Oregon in October 2023, but it will be a long wait until anything like Monday’s events comes this way again. The next total solar eclipse within the United States will pass from Texas to Maine in 2024, and the next one on the Pacific Coast — running from Northern California to Florida — isn’t until 2045.

An organization called Astronomers Without Borders is putting together an effort to collect used eclipse glasses for donation to schools in South America and Asia within the path of a total solar eclipse coming in 2019. The group plans to establish collection centers around the country where unwanted glasses can be donated, and has established an address in Arkansas where glasses can be sent by mail.

Scott Brown, park manager at Smith Rock State Park, said although the park saw record-breaking crowds, there were very few pairs of eclipse glasses left behind in the trash. He said park staff found some glasses tucked into the various kiosks around the park — presumably so they could be used by others — but most eclipse viewers appear to have taken their glasses home with them.

— Reporter: 541-383-0387, shammers@bendbulletin.com

How to donate

Send eclipse glasses to Astronomers Without Borders at:

Explore Scientific

1010 S. 48th St.

Springdale, AR 72762