The moon will block the sun in a unique solar eclipse on Sunday, offering a potentially dazzling solar sight for skywatchers in parts of Asia and North America. But if you live anywhere else on the planet, don't fret – you can watch the solar eclipse online, too. And there are many webcasts to choose from.
Today's annular solar eclipse begins in southern China (where the local time is May 21) at about 6:06 p.m. EDT (2206 GMT) and gradually makes its way eastward over 3 1/2 hours to cross the northern Pacific Ocean to the western United States, where it will end in northern Texas at local sunset. The peak eclipse views will be along a path about 186 miles wide (300 km) and 8,450 miles long (13,600 km), according to NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak.
Editor's note: If you snap a great photo of Sunday's annular solar eclipse and would like it to be considered for use in a story or gallery, please send images and comments to SPACE.com managing editor Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com.
Here's a look at several live webcasts of solar eclipse, beginning with the online Slooh Space Camera, which is offering views from several different observatories around the world beginning at 5:30 p.m. EDT (2130 GMT). Slooh will track the eclipse as it leaves Japan and makes landfall on the western U.S., with viewers able to snap images from the website to share online.
You can view the webcast the Slooh website: http://www.slooh.com and below:
The U.S. National Parks Service will webcast the solar eclipse live from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. EDT (0100 to 0400 May 21 GMT) from Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, N.M. You can see the feed directly here or view it below:
Colorado University in Boulder, Colo., will hold a massive solar eclipse viewing party at Folsom Stadium - a football stadium - with more than 13,000 spectators expected. The university has partnered with Sommers-Bausch Observatory to offer a live solar eclipse webcast here from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. MDT (7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. EDT, 0030 to 0300 GMT).
See the Sommers-Bausch Observatory feed directly below:
Sky and Telescope Magazine has also posted a list of webcast events for the solar eclipse, many of which are reproduced below.
The Hong Kong Observatory and Hong Kong SpaceMuseum are providing a joint feed, letting the world see the eclipse from the vantage point of the huge city in southern China. Webcast available here starting at 5:41 p.m. EDT (2241 GMT).
Also here:
According to Sky and Telescope, the electronics company Panasonic will also broadcast live eclipse footage from the top of Japan's iconic Mt. Fuji, The broadcast crew will scale the 12,390-foot (3,776-meter) peak with the aid of climbing guides. Panasonic's feed can be found below:
Sky and Telescope reports that amateur astronomer Scotty Degenhart will broadcast from Nevada's Area 51, a patch of desert about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Las Vegas. His feed will be available here:
Free live streaming by Ustream
More solar eclipse feeds from Sky and Telescope Magazine here.
NASA's Lunar Science Institute has a list of other solar eclipse viewing events here:
http://lunarscience.nasa.gov/articles/nlsi-prepares-for-grand-canyon-solar-eclipse-party/
Editor's note: If you snap a great photo of Sunday's annular solar eclipse and would like it to be considered for use in a story or gallery, please send images and comments to SPACE.com managing editor Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com.
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