Solar Eclipse Seen From Plane Is a Magnificently Awe-Inspiring Sight
Missed Wednesday's total solar eclipse? If you weren't in Indonesia, you probably did, but, you're still able to see the majestic event.
Alaska Airlines Flight 870, which was heading from Anchorage to Honolulu, altered its flight plan so passengers could see the solar eclipse...from above the clouds (almost as neat as seeing it from space).
According to CNET:
The request came from passenger Joe Rao, an astronomer who had calculated that the flight would intercept the eclipse's "path of totality", the area on Earth from which the total eclipse could be viewed. The problem was that the flight would depart 25 minutes too early to view the eclipse. So Alaska Airlines agreed to his request to delay the flight.
Imagine that -- passengers asking for a flight to be delayed. That may be rarer than a solar eclipse.
Astronomer Craig Small, who has seen 31 total solar eclipses in his lifetime and every one that's happened in the last 43 years, says seeing one is a life-altering experience (no matter where you see it). "I'm not one for hyperbole, but you don't just see an eclipse, you experience it with every fiber of your being," Small said. "It is the most spectacular naturally occurring event that anyone could witness in their lifetime."
The next total solar eclipse, slated for August 21, 2017, is expected to take place throughout North America.
You can take in a shorter video of the eclipse, as well as other vantage points, below.