MESQUITE, Texas — If your eclipse glasses are collecting dust in your home or office, Mesquite is offering an opportunity to pass them on to a future eclipse viewer.
The city of Mesquite is collecting eclipse glasses to send to other communities that will experience a solar eclipse sooner than North Texas, the city announced in a press release Tuesday. Solar viewing glasses in good condition do not expire. Collections will start May 15 and run through July 15.
Eclipses occur two to five times per year, scientists say. The next total solar eclipse will be on Aug. 12, 2026 and visible in Greenland, Iceland and Spain. The next solar eclipse won't be visible in the U.S. until 2044. If you're planning to try and hold on to those glasses until then, good luck.
The collected glasses will be donated to the nonprofit Astronomers Without Borders which has a network of collection hubs around the U.S. and Canada.
Solar glasses with ripped, scratched or punctured lenses cannot be reused.
Here's the full list of collection sites in Mesquite:
- Mesquite Main Library, 300 W. Grubb Dr.
- North Branch Library, 2600 Oates Dr.
- Mesquite City Hall, 757 N. Galloway Ave.
- Mesquite Municipal Center, 1515 N. Galloway Ave.
- Dunford Recreation Center, 1015 Green Canyon Dr.
- Evans Recreation Center, 1116 Hillcrest St.
- Florence Recreation Center, 2501 Whitson Way
- Rutherford Recreation Center, 900 Rutherford Dr.
If you don't want to make the drive, Astronomers Without Borders partners with eye wear store Warby Parker for collections. The retailer has eight retail locations in North Texas.
