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King Penguin I Photo by Vladimir Wrangel from Shutterstock
King Penguin I Photo by Vladimir Wrangel from Shutterstock

The best free relaxing online streams and virtual tours you need to watch now

Tired of watching the coronavirus Worldometer? If you need to watch something relaxing to keep you sane, here are the best free streams online you need to tune into now.

Tatum Ancheta
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Tatum Ancheta
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The ongoing pandemic is making everyone on edge, and well, a little cray cray. Shift that energy and watch something that will loosen you a little. From virtual museums, live aquariums, pandas, elephants, beluga whales, out of this world space cams, and aurora borealis, we've rounded up free online streams you should be watching now to relax. 

RECOMMENDED: Looking for other things to keep yourself occupied? Check out these recommendations to do at home

Out of this world

Northern Lights (aurora borealis) live streams
Aurora Borealis, Finland I Photo by Ekaterina Kondratova from Shutterstock

Northern Lights (aurora borealis) live streams

Meanwhile, in another part of the world, the northern lights are illuminating the earth's skyline. The viewing will definitely drift you in lalaland. The aurora borealis live stream camera in Finland is located at Asgard tour location in Utsjoki where the majestic phenomenon is visible 200 nights a year on clear nights. Finland's real-time aurora borealis live stream on YouTube, find the best time to see the green lights dance in the sky. You can always view this recorded video from February if you missed the night viewing. 

Explore.com and Polar Bears International also offer a continued live stream of the aurora borealis through cameras located at the Churchill Northern Studies Center in Manitoba, Canada. Eastern Daylight Time is 12 hours behind Hong Kong Time, so you will be able to catch it in the morning if you're in our city. March midwinter is the best time to view, so hopefully, the skies will show this magical phenomenon. If you miss it, you can always check out this preview from their Instagram page last February.

NASA Space cam live from the International Space Station
A view from space of Mediterranean coasts of Tunisia and Libya and the Italian island of Sicily I Photo from International Space Station

NASA Space cam live from the International Space Station

📹View the live stream 

Want to be an explorer of space? Spend hours staring below the earth from NASA Space cam live from the International Space Station. The station goes around the earth at an average of 17,000 mph, so sometime you may see how the sunrises and sunsets for, well, about every 45 minutes. If you lose a signal because sometimes the space station is not in contact with the ground, then you will be able to see a pre-recorded loop. There's a 'live' indicator on the player if the stream is currently live.

 

Zoos and aquariums

Beluga whales at Georgia Aquarium, US
Beluga Whale I Photo by Miles Away Photography/Shutterstock

Beluga whales at Georgia Aquarium, US

📹Watch the live webcam of Beluga whales at Georgia Aquarium

Often referred to as sea canaries, beluga whales create sounds that will definitely keep you entertained. These lovely melonheads will take away all your stress. Catch them swimming in Georgia Aquarium; you can also watch live streams of penguins and jellyfishes.  

Elephants at Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa
screenshot from africam.com live stream of Tembe Elephant Reserve

Elephants at Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa

📹Watch the live webcam of Elephants at Tembe Elephant Park

Hong Kong is six hours ahead of South Africa, so, depending on what time you tune in, you can either watch these majestic creatures in the light of day or when the camera is in night mode in the evening. But it's like watching when in the wild; you need to wait to catch them in action. We saw one stopped by the camera at night time and it was magical. If you're lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of nyalas and waterbucks. 

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Penguins at Edinburgh Zoo, UK
King Penguin I Photo by Vladimir Wrangel from Shutterstock

Penguins at Edinburgh Zoo, UK

📹Watch the live webcam of Edinburgh Zoo Penguins

Catch this 24-hour live view of king penguins in Europe's largest outdoor penguin pool containing 1.2 million litres of water. Watching these cute,beautiful creatures waddle and interact with each other is very entertaining. Hong Kong is eight hours ahead of Edinburgh, so the cam is best viewed in HK time in the evening to see them in colour. If you're viewing in the morning, you'd see them in lines sleeping. You may also check out Edinburgh Zoo's YouTube channel if you want more videos from these penguins.

Otters at The Shedd Aquarium, US
Otter I photo from The Shedd Aquarium's Facebook Page

Otters at The Shedd Aquarium, US

📹Watch videos of  Otters 

If you see Yaku, the otter, you'll get cuteness overload to start with your day. The Facebook video posts of The Shedd Aquarium features charming behind-the-scenes footage of their inhabitants, which include beluga whales, penguins, porcupines, and even seahorses! 

Virtual Museums

The Louvre, France
© DR

The Louvre, France

📷View 360 online tours at The Louvre

With the current travel restrictions in various parts of the globe, it looks like it will take a while before you use up your savings to fly to France to see The Louvre. For now, enjoy precious art in the world's largest art museum. Check out Louvre's free online tours of three famous exhibits, including Egyptian Antiquities, Remains of the Louvre's Moat, and Galerie d'Apollon. 

Van Gogh Museum, Netherlands
A screenshot of the Van Gogh Museum from Google Arts & Culture

Van Gogh Museum, Netherlands

📷View the 360 gallery from Van Gogh Museum

Thanks to Google Arts & Culture, you can now enjoy a 360 view of Dutch art museum dedicated to Van Gogh's pieces and other artists from his time. Walk through the halls (using your mouse or trackpad of course) of the gallery and take a closer look at the pieces hanging on the walls. 

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Metropolitan Museum of Art
Screenshot from the Google Arts & Culture viewing of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Metropolitan Museum of Art

📷View the exhibit

Met Gala is cancelled this year so we won't be able to see a parade of fashionistas and celebrities in their weirdest or most gorgeous ensembles. But, presently, we get a chance to walk through the Met Museum and peak at The Costume Institute Conversation Lab currently displaying 26 online exhibits via Google Arts & Culture.  

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