Best view of the eclipse? At 40,000 feet
While millions of people in the U.S. got ready to watch Monday’s total solar eclipse from the ground, Alaska Airlines hosted an eclipse-viewing party in the air.
Alaska’s charter Flight #9671 left Oregon’s Portland International Airport before 7:30 a.m. PT and headed west for two hours out over the Pacific Ocean. On board, astronomy enthusiasts, eclipsechasers, a NASA astronaut, social media contest winners and other guests were treated to a unique and early view of the total eclipse from 40,000 feet.
Before entering the path of totality, pilots and on-board experts explained to passengers the technical details involved with both the eclipse and the flight. They offered tips on what to look for as the plane entered the path of the eclipse and gave passengers a count-down into and out of the path of totality.
Yelps of “There it is!,” “Wow!,” “Oh my goodness!,” and “Thank goodness this worked!” filled the cabin as the flight hit the coordinates that astronomers and pilots had so carefully plotted. During the 1 minute, 43 seconds of the total eclipse, passengers on both sides of the plane swapped seats multiple times so that everyone had a chance to see the astronomical occurrence billed as a “once in a lifetime event.”
As the plane headed back to Portland, flight attendants handed out glasses of champagne for a toast.