Whether you believe in the notion that eclipses are bad omens or not, the total solar eclipse that took place on Wednesday morning and affected Indonesia and the Central Pacific was a sight to behold. Although many people gathered on Belitung's beach to view the event, passengers on Alaska Airlines Flight 870 had the best view.
After last year's event, astronomer Joe Rao calculated the flight plan of Alaska Airlines Flight 870, which made its way from Anchorage to Honolulu, and discovered that it would fly right though the darkest part of the eclipse, known as the eclipse totality. However, he also found that the flight would leave the airport 25 minutes too early for passengers to see the event.
Rao called Alaska Airlines and convinced them to change their departure time from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Alaska Standard Time, so that they could catch the astronomical event.
"We recognize our customers' passions," said Chase Craig, the airline's director of onboard brand experience. "Certainly we can't change flight plans for every interest, but this was a special moment, so we thought it was worth it. Now we have a plane full of customers who will be treated to a special occurrence."
Hal Anderson, captain of the flight, contacted Oceanic Air Traffic Control to let them know of the tactical changes taking place and used a flight plan that utilized the most efficient route in order to account for weather and wind.
"The key to success here is meeting some very tight time constraints - specific latitudes and longitudes over the ocean," he said. "With the flight management computer, it's a pretty easy challenge, but it's something we need to pay very close attention to. We don't want to be too far ahead or too far behind schedule."
In addition to having the best view of the eclipse, the passengers were also the last people in the world to witness it.
"Nobody will see it after us," said Craig Small, an astronomer who was onboard the flight.
The next total solar eclipse will take place on August 21, 2017, and for the first time since 1918, it will be visible in the entire United States.
