The great American solar eclipse is coming August 21, but you might be busy that day, or unable to get to a good place to see it, or simply don’t want to forsake air conditioning. Don’t worry! You can still watch the eclipse, from the comfort of your own home. Whether you want to flip on TV, have it in a browser tab as you get work done, need it on an app, or are going to miss it completely and want to see it later, there’s no shortage of ways for you to watch the event.
General Streaming: NASA
NASA, of course, will be streaming the whole thing, mostly notably on YouTube. And the streams will come from every place imaginable: Public parks, libraries, aircraft, the International Space Station — really any place they can install a camera and connect it to the internet. NASA is also streaming from its official TV channel, releasing footage on its video podcast NASA Edge, and streaming the eclipse on UStream and the Stream enterprise platform.
4K Streaming: Astronomy.com
If you’ve got a big TV handy, or everyone wants to gather around and watch at a specific time, Astronomy.com is screening the eclipse in full 4K video, straight from Denver, CO. Denver won’t get full totality, but it should be 92%, which, really, for most of us, will be close enough.
All-Day 4K Coverage: CNN
CNN will be chasing the eclipse from the ground all day, driving a specially fitted Volvo with 360 degree cameras. Yes, it’s a blatant marketing stunt, but it’s a pretty cool one and it also means that you’ll get full day coverage of the event from multiple places across the country, right up to the very last motion of the moon.
The Pregame Version: Slooh
This robotic telescope service isn’t well known except among astronomers, but it’s fun to fool around with as you explore the universe from your desktop. And, of course, Slooh is taking this moment to promote themselves with a livestream straight from Idaho. Slooh will tackle it not just from a scientific perspective, but also a cultural, spiritual, and artistic one, so you can learn quite a bit about how the eclipse is being viewed.
App Streaming: The Exploratorium App
If you’re away from your desk, but somehow still indoors, you can fire up a special app from the Exploratorium, San Francisco’s science museum, and watch it in real time from both Oregon and Wyoming.
And If You Missed It Completely: The Science Channel
If, for some reason, you miss the whole thing, don’t worry: The Science Channel will be airing a 9pm special all about the eclipse. So, if worse comes to worst, you can set your DVR and catch it the next day. Yes, we can treat a major astronomical event like it’s Game of Thrones. Technology is awesome!
