Do you ever wonder what a solar eclipse would look like from a plane? Someone caught a video of one while they were flying at 31,000 feet, and it was more stunning than you could imagine.
The TikTok page ɅstrooUniverse posted a video of an eclipse taken from a window seat on a commercial jet. It shows the event approaching over a beautiful cloudscape with a beaming sun. Orange and yellow tones line the sky like a sunset, and darkness quickly takes over.
As totality nears, the top and bottom of the sky go completely dark. But lines of colors extend across the horizon. As the moon passes by the sun and ends the eclipse, those colors grow in size and take over the sky before the sun returns to its brilliance.
Major Airlines Offered Solar Eclipse Flights
A plane is actually one of the best places to watch a solar eclipse because not only are you closer to the source, but you fly over any clouds that may get in the way of the view.
Most of the major airlines offered flights for eclipse enthusiasts today. The planes followed the path of totality to “chase” the show. According to Stephen Lawrence, a professor of physics and astronomy at Hofstra University, people lucky enough to catch an eastbound flight had an extra special experience.
“You’re slowing the shadow down by half,” he told USA Today. “Instead of a 4 ½-minute eclipse, you might get a six-minute region of totality.”
NASA was also aware that planes offer better vantage points, which is why it sent two pilots to chase the April 8th solar eclipse at 50,000 feet. The pilots took WB-57 planes that carried a special camera and telescope that captured images in infrared and visible light. Scientists will use those images to study the corona and the atmosphere. They also hoped to see a dust ring of asteroids that surround our star.
“It’s extremely exciting,” pilot Tony Casey told BBC. “I am stoked. I’m so excited to be able to fly this mission. I’m looking forward to just the experience of being there in this moment and the shadow overtaking you.”
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.