Someone call Bonnie Tyler, there's a total eclipse coming up! Ok, it's not an eclipse of the heart, but of the sun, as it is completely blocked out by the moon.
That's right on the 8th of April there will be a rare total solar eclipse, lasting around five minutes. It's one of natures rarest phenomenons, but before you grab one of the best telescopes there's bad news. You won't be able to see it in the UK. In fact, the next total solar eclipse visible from the British Isles isn't until 2090. No, to view the upcoming eclipse in person you'll need to be in one of Mexico, Canada or the US.
Short of booking a flight, Twitch and NASA have teamed up to provide the best way to watch wherever you are. The space agency's official Twitch channel will be streaming from 7 pm to 9 pm BST, bringing you a spectacular and completely safe look at events. In fact, that's not the only interesting feature of the livestream.
Coverage of the eclipse will be appearing alongside eclipse-themed Minecraft and Fortnite (in partnership with Microsoft and Epic Games) custom games within the same live stream. This is thanks to the platform's new Stream Together feature that "allows streamers to collaborate (on-stream) with other streamers who are also live on their own channels." This means you can use another (consenting) streamer's video and provide your own audio commentary. In fact, up to 5 other streamers can join the host in a multi-streamer call.
This feature is still in beta but the eclipse is a great way to test it with what will undoubtedly be a large crowd of viewers and make for what will be a unique way to watch such a seismic event.
As for that 2090 eclipse? Who knows what we'll be watching that on, or maybe even from what planet?
