A total solar eclipse is an amazing sight. Last week a swath of Chile was treated to that experience on the ground, but a few lucky passengers got something better: A view of the eclipse from the sky.
The flight, operated on a LATAM 787-9, departed from Easter Island with more than 50 passengers from 10 countries. The aircraft headed northwest, intersecting the path of the eclipse, and then flying at 560 mph in the totality zone, extending the experience to more than 8 minutes, tripling the time available on the ground.]
At LATAM, we are committed to showcasing the best of Latin America to the world and we are proud that the leading eclipse chasers chose us as the airline to follow the path of this phenomenon on a unique flight over the Pacific that took off from remotest place on the planet, Easter Island. – Yanina Manassa, Customer Service Director, LATAM Airlines Group.
Planning for the event, coordinated with trip organizer T.E.I. Tours, took two years to ensure that the proper route was chosen to maximize the experience for all on board.
Read More: An AvGeek approach to eclipse viewing: From the sky!
The next total solar eclipse is expected a bit further south in South America on December 14, 2020. An option closer to many more flight routes (and people) will occur on April 20, 2023, nicking the northwest corner of Australia before passing into Indonesia. North America’s next total solar eclipse is projected for April 8, 2024.
For those who want even more than an eight minute view of the total solar eclipse the next best option appears to be outer space. NASA’s GOES-East earth observation satellite captured a view of the shadow crossing the South Pacific that is hard to match.
Scoring a ticket for that view in person is much, much harder.
Never miss another post: Sign up for email alerts and get only the content you want direct to your inbox.
One Comment
Comments are closed.