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Solar eclipse livestreams: How to watch the sun disappear even if you're not in the right place

A drone flies in foreground of a partial solar eclipse in Vienna: JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images
A drone flies in foreground of a partial solar eclipse in Vienna: JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images

The best place in the world to watch the eclipse will, of course, be right underneath it as it sweeps the US. But the second best place might well be the internet.

If you're not able to get to the "path of totality" – the line where the coming eclipse is perfectly aligned, and the sun disappears almost completely – or not able to get hold of the glasses that you need to watch it safely, then there'll be livestreams on the internet where you can watch it happen.

Perhaps the easiest of those is being hosted by The Weather Channel, on Twitter, where you'll be able to follow the eclipse's journey not just from one perfect spot but many.

The two companies will be chasing the eclipse from 10 different locations along the eclipse path – and from space – hosting live video coverage with meteorologists and other experts, including feeds before, after and as the eclipse actually happens. (That space coverage will be provided by "aerial drone footage" from cameras that are usually used for tracking storms, the company said.)

"This eclipse is a once-in-a-hundred-year event, and we're going to party like it's New Year's Eve,'" said Neil Katz, head of global content and editor-in-chief at The Weather Company. "This eclipse is a celestial phenomenon and cultural moment that can't be missed, and we couldn't imagine a better partner than Twitter to celebrate this with."

The live coverage starts at noon eastern time on 21 August, not long before the eclipse arrives on the west coast of the US. But something is visible on the site already, with Twitter's special page collecting posts about the eclipse.

That can be accessed from Twiter's Chasing Eclipse 2017 page. It will also be available on the Weather Channel app and on its official website.

You can get full details on 21 August's solar eclipse here.