Airbnb contest is giving away chance to be the first to see eclipse

Airbnb is helping out procrastinators with a once in a lifetime contest. (iStock)

For those who haven’t yet booked a trip to see the total solar eclipse later this month, Airbnb has a contest you're going to want to enter.

The short-term rental service is giving away one night in a transparent geodesic dome in Bend, Oregon, followed by a flight through the path of totality.

The lodging has an observation deck and telescopes to look up at the night stars. Two National Geographic Explorers — astrophysicist Dr. Jedidah Isler and science journalist Babak Tafreshi — will teach guests about what’s happening in the nighttime sky.

The following morning — August 21, the day of the eclipse — the contest winners will board a private flight to the path of totality. The two-hour flight will start out over the Pacific Ocean and follow the eclipse as it passes over land.

The flight will increase totality viewing — which will be about 1 minute and 58 seconds at the coast — by about one minute more than what’s possible on the ground.

Airbnb users can enter the contest by answering a question with a creative and unique response. The entry period closes on Thursday, August 10 at midnight ET.

Those who don’t win still have options. For one, they can start making a plan right now to get into the path of totality on August 21. (Really, it's worth it, we promise.)

And for those who can't get into the path that day, there will be a livestream from Airbnb and National Geographic of the eclipse as it enters totality, and from NASA, which is doing an “Eclipse Megacast.”

Also, those who are staying home can figure out how much of the eclipse will be visible from their city with several online tools. Everywhere in the U.S. will see at least a partial eclipse.