If you don’t live in the path of totality for April 8th’s Solar Eclipse and don’t want to travel, or cloudy weather conditions make it impossible to view the eclipse, you can still enjoy a livestream of the rare event.
A collaboration between science non-profit Eclipse Plus and AI robotics company Advanced Navigation brings the ‘Balloon Solar Eclipse Project,’ essentially a helium balloon equipped with six cameras. The balloon will ascend up to 30 kilometres into the stratosphere above New Brunswick and the clouds, which means it will have a clear view of the eclipse regardless of the weather conditions.
Up there, it will capture real-time video, and high-definition images, and even collect data on the eclipse.
The livestream of the eclipse will be available for free on YouTube, allowing anyone who can’t reach a site of totality an option to stream online.
“Whether you’re a hardcore space fan or just looking for a unique way to spend the day, this event promises something special for everyone. It’s been wonderful to see the community’s involvement and excitement around this project. This is the only citizen-led project of its kind outside of NASA,” said Chris Docherty, project and governance lead at Eclipse Plus.
Learn more about the project here. You can catch the livestream embedded above or here starting 2:30pm ET. NASA is also offering a live broadcast of the event, which you can find here.
Image credit: Eclipse Plus
