The airline launches a special flight. Passengers will see the total eclipse from on board

Passengers usually board a plane to get from one city to another. In the case of a special Iberia cruise, however, the main attraction will be the flight itself, not its destination. On August 12, an Airbus A321XLR will take off from Madrid-Barajas Airport to take travelers to the heart of one of the most spectacular astronomical phenomena – a total solar eclipse. The recording from the plane will be available live on the Internet.

Watching the solar eclipse on a plane

Seeing a total solar eclipse is a dream of many. Although this phenomenon is more common than it may seem (worldwide it occurs on average every 1.5 years), the area covered by it is very narrow. The belt of total eclipse is usually from several dozen to about two hundred meters wide, which is why in one specific point of our globe the waiting time for the next such opportunity is on average over 350 years. This year, on August 12, the best conditions for observing the phenomenon will be in northern Spain and Iceland.

While more cities and resorts are preparing for the eclipse and the expected crowd of tourists, there is a unique opportunity to watch this phenomenon not from land, but from the air. All thanks to Iberia Airlines, which prepared a special flight number IB1473. The plane, which will have scientists and a few lucky people on board, will take off from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport at 6:45 p.m., fly over the province of Palencia, and then return to the Spanish capital to land. “Scientists plan to use this opportunity to study the solar corona, the outer layer of the Sun’s atmosphere (usually hidden by its brightness),” writes Time Out.

Feel like a passenger. Broadcast the Iberia flight online for free

Iberia wants to make everyone feel like a passenger and will provide public access to the flight broadcast on its social media channels. This will be possible thanks to Starlink technology, which will provide an undisturbed video image. As Flight Radar reminds, in northern Spain the total eclipse will occur around 20:29 Central European Time. “The European Space Agency predicts that the Moon’s shadow will cross the Iberian Peninsula between 8:27 p.m. and 8:32 p.m.,” we read.