NASA will livestream the total solar eclipse over South America tomorrow
You can tune in beginning at 3pm ET.
It's been almost two years since the last total solar eclipse passed over the US, but there's a good chance you remember all of the hype. Now, a total solar eclipse is heading for parts of Chile and Argentina. It will arrive tomorrow, and thanks to NASA and the Exploratorium, you can catch a livestream as it happens. Beginning at 3pm ET, the agency will stream the eclipse, and at 4pm ET it will begin commentary in both English and Spanish. All three streams will be available on NASA's website.
If you happen to be in the path of the eclipse, we'll remind you not to look directly at the sun. In 2017, one woman had permanent vision loss because she looked at the sun for six seconds, and at least one $11,500 Canon lens melted. Fortunately, eclipse glasses offer a safe viewing method, and thanks to Astronomers Without Borders, at least some of the glasses used in 2017 were sent to school children in South American in advance of tomorrow's event.
This total solar eclipse will provide scientists with a unique opportunity to study solar radiation, which impacts everything from space weather to astronauts' health and the durability of spacecraft. Those are all factors that could impact NASA's plans to return crews to the Moon in 2024 and to prepare for crewed missions to Mars.
