Outside The Path Of Totality During Monday's Eclipse? Here's How You Can Still Get A Great View

The solar eclipse on Aug. 21 is fast approaching, and if you don't live in a state that falls within the "path of totality," you're probably starting to get worried about how you're going to get the best view. However, don't worry: I've got the secret to getting the perfect view, and it's as simple as streaming the 2017 solar eclipse from the comfort of your own laptop of phone — duh! While a partial view will still be a totally cool sight from wherever you are outside of the path of totality, it's not exactly the same thing as a full solar eclipse. But fret not, there's a neat little thing called the internet, and it's going to be your front row seats to the "path of totality" from wherever you are.

For many people, streaming the eclipse is just going to be the best way to see it. You don't need special glasses or clear skies or a good view to stream the footage. Plus, some of the best photographers and astronomers in the world are going to be filming footage of the event, so you're going to get a much better "streamed" version of the eclipse than you would ever get with your own eyes or camera — no offense.

And, fun fact to remember, the eclipse will be occurring at a different time in each state, so technically when you add all the footage together, there will be lots of eclipses. Hours of eclipses! You'll be able to watch a feature length film's worth of eclipses!

But, the first step is finding a great place to stream it. Here's what you'll need to consider when picking a streaming source:

Find A Reliable Source

You want to pick a streaming site that's an official news, media or NASA-related source to ensure clear and uninterrupted footage. All major news stations will be broadcasting from their websites, and TimeAndDate.com will have their own stream.

Line Them Up

You don't want to watch just one eclipse. You want to watch the eclipse from every state it crosses over! So if you chose a local news source, make sure you line up a few to ensure complete coverage.

Connect On All Devices

The solar eclipse is such a rare and special opportunity for everyone. So what that might mean for you internet connection is that there will be delays. While phone and internet companies are taking extra percautions to ensure uninterrupted coverage, you should still plan for some outages. So, queue up the streaming on your phone, your computer, and your tablet, if you have one. Between them all, something will pull through!

Look For Hashtags

Lots of news and media platforms will be using hashtags to help eclipse viewers find footage and share footage, in addition to the hundreds people will be making up on social media. These are a few to look out for:

#CBSEclipse, #NBCEclipse, #TheGreatAmericanEclipse, #SolarEclipse, #totalsolareclipse, #SolarEclipse2017, and #TotalEclipseOfTheHeart.