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Tag: solar eclipse

  • Alaska Airlines Delays Flight So Passengers Could See Solar Eclipse From 35,000 Feet And The Results Are Stunning

    Alaska Airlines Delays Flight So Passengers Could See Solar Eclipse From 35,000 Feet And The Results Are Stunning

    Alaska Airlines deliberately delayed a flight from Anchorage to Honolulu Tuesday so passengers could see a solar eclipse from 35,000 feet.

    On Saturday, Alaska Airlines shared video of the solar eclipse as seen from Flight 870 and the images are truly stunning.

    According to CBS6, the flight departed Anchorage on Tuesday around 2 p.m. local time, with the eclipse peaking around 4:38 p.m. local time.

    It was over a year ago that Joe Rao, an associate astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History, determined that the Alaska Airlines flight would intersect the “path of totality” during the solar eclipse.

    He along with others convinced the airlines to depart a bit later than scheduled to have the best possible view of the spectacular eclipse. The plane left 25 minutes after its scheduled departure.

    Needless to say, Rao and a dozen other “eclipse chasers” were on Tuesday’s flight to catch a view of an eclipse in pristine circumstances.

    Alaska Airlines also changed its flight path to allow for prime viewing of the event, the company wrote on their official blog.

    “It’s an unbelievably accommodating gesture,” said Mike Kentrianakis, solar eclipse project manager for the American Astronomical Society, before boarding the flight. “Not only is Alaska Airlines getting people from Point A to Point B, but they’re willing to give them an exciting flight experience. An airline that’s actually talking to their people – and listening! That’s customer service at its best. It’s become personal.”

    Video of the event was shot by Mike Kentrianakis of the American Astronomical Society.

  • Rare Hybrid Solar Eclipse Early Sunday Morning

    There will be a partial solar eclipse visible in the eastern region of the U.S. early Sunday morning, one of only two on Earth this year.

    The eclipse will be seen for only about 30 minutes after sunrise, at roughly 6:30 a.m. – Though remember that daylight saving time officially comes to an end at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. Due to some mathematical paradox I repeatedly fail to understand, a casual astronomer can grab an extra hour of sleep, by falling back. The eclipse will be seen on the entire East Coast of the U.S., and will move as far west as eastern Ohio, eastern Kentucky, eastern Tennessee and most of Georgia.

    One should also remember that unlike a lunar eclipse, which requires no eyewear to see, viewing a solar eclipse without protection can cause severe retinal injury and blindness. One should wear glasses designed specifically for an eclipse, or use welder’s glass No. 14.

    Sunday’s solar event is also a rare “hybrid” eclipse. From different vantages on Earth, the eclipse will present as “annular,” to where the moon doesn’t completely block out the sun, and also as “total,” when the moon completely covers the sun. The annular eclipse will be seen in North America, and parts of Europe and Africa. Central African countries including Gabon, Uganda, Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia will see the total eclipse.

    Totality will best be visible from the northern Atlantic Ocean, with a maximum eclipse of 1 minute and 39 seconds visible on the water, south of Ivory Coast and Ghana.

    This will be the final eclipse of 2013, and the next opportunity to view a total solar eclipse from the vantage of the U.S. will occur on August 21, 2017.

    Some precise eclipse times for the eastern seaboard:

    New York City, NY
    Sunrise: 6:29 a.m. EST
    Partial eclipse ends: 7:11 a.m. EST

    Miami, Florida
    Sunrise: 6:31 a.m. EST
    Partial eclipse ends: 7:02 a.m. EST

    For those viewers in Eastern Kentucky, the weather forecast looks pretty good for clear skies.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.