How to watch the American solar eclipse of 2017: Start time, livestream and more
CBS News will bring you live coverage with a CBS News Special Report beginning at 1 p.m. ET on Mon., Aug. 21, and you can watch the event on our 24/7 streaming service CBSN.
As millions of skywatchers prepare to witness the first solar eclipse to cross the entire continental United States in 99 years on Monday, here's how you can watch the coast-to-coast event on CBS from home or the office or anywhere that isn't going to have a clear view of the eclipse.
You can stream CBS News eclipse coverage for free on Monday, August 21. CBSN, CBS News' 24-hour online streaming platform, will begin coverage of the solar eclipse at 12 p.m. ET, followed by a CBS Special Report from 1 p.m. ET to 3 p.m. ET. The CBS Special Report will also be streamed on CBS News' Facebook page during the celestial phenomenon.
CBS News will use the hashtag #CBSEclipse to showcase coverage from in the field and encourages viewers to safely share photos and videos from their vantage point of the solar eclipse.
A solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun. The darkness is the moon's shadow. During Monday's event, its 70-mile-wide path of totality will be in full view from Oregon to South Carolina. A partial eclipse will be visible in other parts of the country.
While the coast-to-coast eclipse will surely be a once-in-a-lifetime event, experts and doctors urge caution to avoid damaging your vision.
The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters or hand-held solar viewers, according to NASA. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses are not safe for looking at the sun.
Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics, Thousand Oaks Optical, TSE 17 are the only four retailers of eclipse glasses and solar viewers on the market certified to meet international safety standards, NASA says.
Look for glasses certified to meet the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard. Be sure to inspect your solar filter before the eclipse, and don't use it if it's scratched or damaged.