Luxury

The Most Exclusive Way to Watch This Month’s Total Eclipse

BYEmily Price
August 9, 2017, 6:47 PM UTC
AUSTRALIA-ASTRONOMY-ECLIPSE
Totality is shown during the solar eclipse at Palm Cove in Australia's Tropical North Queensland on November 14, 2012. Eclipse-hunters have flocked to Queensland's tropical northeast to watch the region's first total solar eclipse in 1,300 years on November 14, which occurred as the moon passed between the earth and the sun, casting a shadow path on the globe and lasting for a maximum on the Australian mainland of 2 minutes and 5 seconds. AFP PHOTO / Greg WOOD (Photo credit should read GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images)
Photograph by Greg Wood — AFP/Getty Images

Forget those special glasses everyone is buying on Amazon, the right way to view the upcoming solar eclipse is on your own private jet.

National Geographic and Airbnb have teamed up to offer an eclipse enthusiast a once-in-a-lifetime experience (ignore the fact that the eclipse itself is something that only typically happens once in an average lifespan) in a private plane. The night before the eclipse, winners will do some star gazing in a “custom-built geodesic dome” with two National Geographic Explorers, an astrophysicist and night-sky photographer in Oregon. The next day, you’ll go up in your private jet, and get a bird’s eye view of the eclipse as it happens.

View this post on Instagram

On August 21, 2017, millions will witness an event that hasn’t happened across the U.S. for 99 years: a total solar eclipse. ⠀ To celebrate this phenomenon, we've created a #NightAt for the ages: fly above the clouds with noted astrophysicist @JedidahIslerPhD and experience the event in its full, unobstructed glory. You'll also get to stay for a night of stargazing in a custom-built geodesic dome. While the rest of the world gathers to witness as Nature puts on this show, you'll be one of the first to witness the eclipse's unforgettable magic. ⠀ For your chance at this #NightAt from @Airbnb and @NatGeo, click the link in our bio. ⠀ Contest open only to residents of US and Canada (excluding Quebec). No purchase necessary. Must be 21+ to enter. Enter by 8/10/17.  See link to official rules in bio for details. ⠀ Photo credit: @chrisburkard

A post shared by Airbnb (@airbnb) on

While most people likely aren’t viewing the eclipse from a plane, many are taking a plane in order to watch it happen. Flights to cities in the eclipse’s “path of totality,” the geographic regions where the moon will completely cover the sun for a few minutes, are soaring. According to booking site Hipmunk, flight bookings to cities in the eclipse’s path are up a staggering 418% over August of last year.

If you want to enter Airbnb’s contest, you’ll need to login to Airbnb’s site and write a short message about why you think the solar eclipse is bringing people together and why you want to be a part of it. If you do want to be a part of it, you better act fast—entries are only accepted through Thursday, Aug. 10.