Need More Space At Home? Try These Astronomy Livestreams – Forbes

Europe at night viewed from space with city lights.

It doesnt matter your total square footage: any living space starts to feel small and cramped, after a few weeks of social distancing and spending a lot of time at home. Whether youre enjoying the solitude, craving social interaction, and/or trying to keep the entire family occupied its going to take a steady stream of entertainment, activities, and creative solutions to keep us all from developing cabin fever this spring.

To help you feel like you have a little more space in your space, check out these astronomy live streams. Theyll help you get a bigger perspective, educate everyone in the household, and show you the wonders of the universe.

German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst took this image of an aurora as he circled Earth whilst aboard ... [+] the International Space Station (ISS).

As part of ongoing operations, NASA runs a constant livestream from the International Space Station (ISS). The view varies: sometimes its looking down on earth and others its gazing out into the deep black darkness of our solar system.

If you want to get a sense of the bigger picture and how were all in this together, this is a great livestream to put on the TV all day long. (Bonus: Youll get to enjoy up to 16 sunsets and sunrises during a day of watching just like the astronauts do!)

A superb display of aurora borealis from the Churchill Northern Studies Center, Churchill, Manitoba.

Is seeing the aurora on your bucket list? Youre not alone! Thats probably why the Northern Lights livestream has been drawing viewers from around the world over the past week. Oh, and were currently in the days that typically surround the peak of aurora activity each year!

The Northern Lights Live Cam is set up at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre in Manitoba, and is powered by Polar Bears International. It runs 24/7 which means half the day it shows the daytime view from the center, including a chance to spot polar bears and other wildlife. Once the sun sets and the sky is clear, you can try to spot the aurora dancing in the sky above Canada. Its not quite like seeing them in person, but for this year, its the best alternative.

Two of the four telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) work under the starry sky of the ... [+] Atacama desert on October 26, 2000, in Paranal, Chile.

Seeing the southern night sky is another astronomy bucket list item and one you can virtually tick off your list with the help of the internet. The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has a number of telescopes in Chiles Atacama Desert. Together this facility is called the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the astronomers there conduct research at both the visual and infrared wavelengths and produces some truly awe-inspiring photos.

Theres also a webcam set up on the the VLT observing platform, which you can control to get a perspective similar to what youd experience if you visited the observatory. The camera runs constantly, so check sunset times to watch the southern part of the Milky Way appear in the night sky along with other southern constellations youve probably never seen before.

The Milky Way glows over Bryce Canyon.

This isnt a live stream, but if youre still looking to bring more astronomy into your life at home, Google Arts & Culture has you covered. As part of a project, The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks, which help people experience national parks even if they cant travel, Google has an interactive 360-degree photo of the night sky above Bryce Canyon National Park.

Bryce Canyon is certified as a dark sky park by the International Dark-Sky Association, so you know its an incredible spot for stargazing with dark skies. While its better to stay home, youll get a pristine view of the night sky, learn about some of the constellations above us, and be inspired to book a trip once travel is recommended.

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Need More Space At Home? Try These Astronomy Livestreams - Forbes