Total Solar Eclipse Seen From the Sky
- 2 years ago
Occurred on December 4, 2021 / South Atlantic Ocean
: "Two twin charted LATAM Dreamliners rendezvoused with the total solar eclipse over the South Atlantic Ocean--east of the Falkland Islands, west the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, north of Coronation Island and north of Antarctica. This began around 3:30am Chilean time with totality occurring at 4:03am Chilean time. Totality lasted 1m 55s. I was aboard the nicknamed 'Gold' plane seated in seat 17A--port side of the aircraft. We were cruising at an altitude of 40,000 feet while the 'Blue' Dreamliner was 1,000 feet higher (dimly seen in the video). We intercept the coordinates (lat.,long., and alt.) of where the shadow of the Moon would sweep us from behind and overtake us as its speed is over 1,000mph. We essentially bisected the elongated, oval shadow backward. It swept and enveloped us. Only cruise ship out of six that I know saw the eclipse on the horizon in a clearing. It soon rose into a blanket of clouds. We experienced the longest totality nearing 2 minutes where expeditions to Union Glacier experienced at most 40 seconds. The bright "star" to right of the eclipsed sun was the planet Mercury. The redness to the right is where totality is not happening yet. Similar to a sunrise or sunset. After it ended the other side of the Moon's shadow cone can be seen with a red edge followed by yellow and then white. This was a miraculous mission as Falkland Island air traffic control would not authorize emergency landing for our planes as they originally did. The governor of the Falklands overruled it. We were left scurrying to hire newer, longer-range planes: thus the Dreamliners came at the last hour. It was the seat of your pants action and this perfectly choreographed air and (celestial) sky show couldn't have been framed better out of a plane window. This was my second total solar eclipse from an airplane and it didn't let me down as heard in my visceral narrative. I was the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Project Manager for AAS (American Astronomical Society). That event of August 21, 2017, was the most-watched event in U.S. history--millions saw it. The next where even more may see it (weather-permitting) can reach 145 million in the narrow path of totality and the rest of the USA will see a partial eclipse (eclipse glasses or safe solar filters will be necessary). I don't think I saw a more exhilarating eclipse coordinated by T.E.I. Tours and LATAM Airlines. I was lucky to be aboard and was humbled by the event."
: "Two twin charted LATAM Dreamliners rendezvoused with the total solar eclipse over the South Atlantic Ocean--east of the Falkland Islands, west the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, north of Coronation Island and north of Antarctica. This began around 3:30am Chilean time with totality occurring at 4:03am Chilean time. Totality lasted 1m 55s. I was aboard the nicknamed 'Gold' plane seated in seat 17A--port side of the aircraft. We were cruising at an altitude of 40,000 feet while the 'Blue' Dreamliner was 1,000 feet higher (dimly seen in the video). We intercept the coordinates (lat.,long., and alt.) of where the shadow of the Moon would sweep us from behind and overtake us as its speed is over 1,000mph. We essentially bisected the elongated, oval shadow backward. It swept and enveloped us. Only cruise ship out of six that I know saw the eclipse on the horizon in a clearing. It soon rose into a blanket of clouds. We experienced the longest totality nearing 2 minutes where expeditions to Union Glacier experienced at most 40 seconds. The bright "star" to right of the eclipsed sun was the planet Mercury. The redness to the right is where totality is not happening yet. Similar to a sunrise or sunset. After it ended the other side of the Moon's shadow cone can be seen with a red edge followed by yellow and then white. This was a miraculous mission as Falkland Island air traffic control would not authorize emergency landing for our planes as they originally did. The governor of the Falklands overruled it. We were left scurrying to hire newer, longer-range planes: thus the Dreamliners came at the last hour. It was the seat of your pants action and this perfectly choreographed air and (celestial) sky show couldn't have been framed better out of a plane window. This was my second total solar eclipse from an airplane and it didn't let me down as heard in my visceral narrative. I was the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Project Manager for AAS (American Astronomical Society). That event of August 21, 2017, was the most-watched event in U.S. history--millions saw it. The next where even more may see it (weather-permitting) can reach 145 million in the narrow path of totality and the rest of the USA will see a partial eclipse (eclipse glasses or safe solar filters will be necessary). I don't think I saw a more exhilarating eclipse coordinated by T.E.I. Tours and LATAM Airlines. I was lucky to be aboard and was humbled by the event."