VIDEO: Watch the Total Eclipse from New York's Most Unexpected Pl

One of the most unique views of the total solar eclipse on Monday was high above the New York State Thruway.

While every New Yorker was able to see at least part of the eclipse on April 8th, tens of thousands of people made the journey upstate to see the amazing celestial event in its totality. Not everyone who saw it, however, was actually a person...

An unmanned aircraft from the New York State Thruway Authority caught the total eclipse on video on its way to Syracuse, NY (NYSTA)

Unmanned Aircraft Footage of the Total Eclipse in New York State

One of the most unnerving signs on the Thruway reads "aircraft used in speed enforcement". While New York State Police may have quietly stopped the tactic years ago, that's not to say unmanned aircrafts aren't used at all... in fact, the New York State Thruway Authority's (NYSTA) aircraft happened to be flying a special mission at the exact time of the eclipse.

The New York State Thruway Authority aircraft had an unobstructed view of the eclipse high above the ground (NYSTA)

The New York State Thruway Authority's Unmanned Aircraft

"The Thruway's unmanned aircraft system (UAS) crew were flying a mission in Syracuse during the time of totality", began a recent post from the NYSTA on Facebook. The time-lapse video (below) shows exactly what the eclipse looked like high above the New York State Thruway.

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While some New Yorkers were busy Googling a few of the most bizarre eclipse questions, an unmanned aircraft was taking in one of the best views in the state. While the NYSTA was tight-lipped about the "mission" in Syracuse, their generosity is applauded for sharing one of the coolest videos of an event that won't come back around for many decades.

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When the NYSTA isn't flying drones to Syracuse, they're overseeing the re-openings of the newly-updated rest stops that help drivers up and down the thruway. Take a look at what they look like below, and keep scrolling to see what they used to be like in the 1950s.

What New York State Thruway Rest Stops Looked Like in the 1950s

According to the Thruway Authority, the very first rest stops were erected in the mid-1950s offering travelers cafeteria-style food, coffee, and snacks. Today, these rest stops are going through their second major remodel which will bring new restaurants and amenities for Thruway travelers. According to these old images from the Thruway Authority, our local rest stops have come a long way in seventy years.

Gallery Credit: Boris