... Counterpoint: Where Is the Best Place to View a Solar Eclipse? ... NASA Goddard Space Flight Center . Most eclipse viewers crave every second of totality they can get. For them, there is only one place to view an eclipse: at the center line. ... Extended views of Baily's beads, the chromosphere, and solar prominences can all be had near the edges of the eclipse path, but only at the expense of views of the corona, as the duration of totality drops precipitously near the shadow's limits. ...