How to watch the Solar Eclipse 2024 safely with kids, and online free

Normally here on The Parent Watch, we’re covering TV shows and movies. But the biggest entertainment event of today is the Solar Eclipse, which should be passing over America later on this afternoon. Given that this is an astronomical event shrouded in darkness, you may be wondering about how to safely watch the Solar Eclipse with kids, online and off. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

First and foremost, let’s talk about going outside and watching the Eclipse. You’re probably aware of this by now, but: do not look directly at the sun. Even if there’s an eclipse, staring directly at the sun can cause serious damage to you and your kids’ eyesight, so make sure to take precautions. If you’ve snagged a pair of eclipse glasses, make sure they’re ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certified and have reference number 12312-2.

You may have also heard you can create a pinhole camera, which is true! But in that case, you are not looking through it - you’re using it to watch the shadow caused by the eclipse. You can find a handy-dandy guide to making your own pinhole camera, a perfect eclipse day activity, from the good folks at NASA.

However, that’s not why you’re here. Let’s say you’re a little nervous about your kids staring at the sun, glasses or not. Or perhaps you’re not in the path of totality. Or you are, and it’s too cloudy to see anything. The great news is there are a ton of options to watch the eclipse free online – and frankly, it’ll probably look better through the online cameras for your children than standing outside.

2024 Solar Eclipse: Watch Online Free

We’ll start with the simplest, freest way to watch the Solar Eclipse: on YouTube, once again via NASA. They’ve got a live stream that will kick off at 1 pm ET / 10 am PT today that you can stream below:

However, if you’re a fiend for streaming services, there are other options as well:

Disney+ and Hulu will simulcast ABC’s “Eclipse Across America” special which starts at 2 pm ET / 11 am PT. It will also air on ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo Wild.

Max will stream CNN’s coverage of the eclipse also starting at 2 pm ET / 11 am PT. If you don’t have Max, you can also check it out at CNN.com/eclipse.

There are plenty of other ways to stream the eclipse, so if you don’t have any of the above (though presumably, you have the internet because here you are), check out pretty much any broadcast channel at around 2 pm ET. Happy eclipsing!