The ultimate eclipse chase: A Concorde raced against the Moon's shadow
Fitted with telescopes, the plane did our longest imaging of the Sun's corona.
Fitted with telescopes, the plane did our longest imaging of the Sun's corona.
The short version
- Fitted with telescopes, the plane did our longest imaging of the Sun’s corona.
- A walk down the tarmac at the National Air and Space Museum of France is guaranteed to thrill aviation enthusiasts.
- Several civilian and military aircraft of the past and the present are showcased in this museum, located at the Paris-Le Bourget airport.
What happened
One of them is the legendary Concorde F-WTSS 001 prototype, the sight of which should give goosebumps to science enthusiasts as well. That’s because right behind its long nose is a painted map that traces the path of a June 1973 total solar eclipse across Africa.
Why it matters
It’s there on the Concorde 001 prototype because a group of eight scientists set a new world record of observing a total solar eclipse for 74 minutes by flying this aircraft at more than twice the speed of sound.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.