Frequently Asked Questions
Q. In India where will the 22 July 2009 total solar eclipse be visible?
A. A partial eclipse of the Sun will be visible in the entire country. For observing a total eclipse you will have to travel to the path of totality, a path about 220 kms wide across the breadth of India. The path begins just off the coast of Gujarat, sweeps towards the north-east passing over 13 states before crossing over to China.
Q. Where will the plane be to observe the eclipse on 22nd July 2009?
A. 41,000 feet above Taregna , the historical Indian town and observation place of Aryabhatta, 35 kms south of Patna, Bihar. The location has approximate latitude of 25° and longitude of 85°.
Q. Why that location, and why from an aircraft?
A. Studying past few years’ weather data, it has been observed that in India Varanasi and Patna along the Ganga valley are expected to have the lowest probability of clouds. The altitude (Height above horizon) of the eclipse above Patna is also a comfortable 15° which clears the wings but does not strain the neck and equipment which a higher eclipse would do. Observing from a high-altitude aircraft provides the opportunity to get above the monsoon clouds and bad weather that might interfere with viewing the eclipse. At 41,000 feet the aircraft will be flying above the weather laden troposphere. This height is called the tropopause – the boundary between tropopause and the stratosphere. Unless there is a furious storm building up instead of the steady monsoon airflows, we expect find clear skies at this aircraft altitude. The stratosphere sky is extremely clear and dark once the sunlight is extinguished, due to very low levels of airborne particulates (light scattering particles) in the upper atmosphere.
Q. In India has a total solar eclipse ever previously been observed from a plane?
A. The record for highest human observation of a total solar eclipse from a plane is during the eclipse of 24th October 1995 over India. An Indian Air Force MiG-25 aircraft flight was arranged by Prof. Arvind Bhatnagar and commanded by Cpt. Mukerji. The aircraft flew at 80,000 feet or 25 kms height and saw a totality of 90 seconds as compared to 55 seconds on ground. Cpt. Mukerji remembers "Our attention was focused on flying… when the red glow of the instruments panel filled the cockpit that we realised that the sunlight had gone. It had become a dark night and the sky was filled with stars all round… At 80,000 feet… the sky appears grey… because of the absence of dust, air and water molecules. This time, during totality, the sky suddenly turned inky dark without notice...”
There is no record of any passenger plane specially flown in India for observing a total solar eclipse.
Q. What kind of aircraft will be used?
A. A brand new Boeing 737-700 chartered from JetLite will be used. A special flight plan and alternatives have been planned to fly into the Moon’s shadow and viewing the total solar eclipse. The plane has large passenger windows to view the eclipse and the entire scene comfortably. The large windows will also afford to view and photograph the eclipse simultaneously.
Q. How many eclipse viewing seats are available on the aircraft?
A. The ‘Sun Side Seats’ are the 21 window seats on the right side of the aircraft. The ‘Earth Side Seats’ are the 21 window seats on the left side of the aircraft. Only window seats will be used by eclipse chasers to view the eclipse. The second seats near the window seats can be used with some sharing, as per individual preferences and arrangements made by each at the time of booking.
Q. Will there be others on the aircraft?
A. The flight crew, cabin attendants, representatives from Eclipse Chasers Athenaeum and representatives from Cox & Kings. We will also invite media persons present on board from selected media companies. Our representatives will be making relevant announcements on board for all chasers’ benefit.
Q. Will my photography equipment be allowed through airport security?
A. There will be JetLite ground handling staff helping out at the airport, to explain to the security about the nature of our special flight. Normally security at the airport would like to see the equipment working, e.g. clicking a camera, video camera, putting ‘on’ the laptop etc. Please do your part by keeping all equipment in an easily accessible way for display. The security checking will take some time, do be prepared and arrive on time.
Q. How much time will I have, in-flight, to prepare my photo gear?
A. Normally cabin crew in the aircraft will ask you to stow all your equipment in the overhead compartments or under the seat in front of you for take off and till the seat belt sign is switched off. After take-off and reaching cruise level you should have about an hour till we reach our holding point over Gaya. Thereafter, the holding time at Gaya depends on the prevailing wind speed and direction, on that day, before we commence our totality run towards the eclipse intercept point.
Q. When will we see totality?
A. The eclipse intercept point – when the aircraft is in the centre of the shadow of the Moon – is at 06:26:07 IST roughly over the historical town of Taregna, Bihar. In case of a high cloud ceiling over our primary planned path, we will be alternating to a totality run (two such alternates are already planned) west of Taregna, in which case we will intercept with the shadow earlier.
Q. How long will totality last?
A. In case of our primary totality run, the totality will last for approximately 3 minutes 54 seconds.
Q. How fast will the Moon's shadow be moving?
A. At the 06h 26m 07s IST instant of mid-eclipse the Moon's shadow will be moving at approximately 18,500 kilometres per hour relative to the Earth's surface, about 15 times the speed of sound! The speed of the shadow is very high as the eclipse has just begun at sunrise near Gujarat and shadow is falling on the Earth at a very oblique angle. As the shadow moves towards China, and onwards the speed will reduce as the position of the sun moves high in the sky. The average speed of Moon’s shadow in this eclipse is 4435 kilometres per hour. (The length of the centreline across the entire Earth divided by the time it takes for the eclipse to cross the Earth)
Q. What is the size of the shadow at our intercept?
A. At the instant of our intercept, the length of the Moon’s shadow is approximately 870 kms and breadth 250 kms. The shape of the shadow is lopsided oval. The view of the lunar shadow projected on the cloud tops and ground below, will be incomparable.
Q. Is our intercept at the point of the longest possible duration of the total phase of the eclipse in India?
A. No, the duration of this eclipse increases eastwards. This location has been fixed keeping in mind the weather conditions as well as ease of looking at the eclipse out of the aircraft windows. As the eclipse moves eastwards the viewing angle, i.e. the height of Sun above the horizon increases as well as the weather conditions, which deteriorate.
Q. How high will the Sun be above the horizon during totality?
A. The Sun will be 14.9 degrees above the astronomical horizon at mid-eclipse. At 41,000 ft, the apparent horizon is depressed by a few degrees, so the Sun will appear to be more than 14.9 degrees above the apparent horizon.
Q. What is the "horizontal viewing angle" of the Sun during totality - along the horizon?
A. The eclipse intercept is planned such that the Sun will be "straight out" the Sun side windows, right side cabin windows, i.e., 90-degrees to our direction of flight. This will maximize visibility of the eclipse and shadow phenomena out of the aircraft windows. The azimuth of the Sun at our intercept point is 74.3°, consequently the direction of aircraft or ‘Heading’ will be 344.3°.
Q. How clear/dark will the skies be at 37,000 feet?
A. Where weather is concerned one can never be 100% assured. However, at 41,000 feet our aircraft will be above more than 75% of the Earth's atmosphere and airborne particulates are extremely sparse. We will on the higher side of the tropopause, the boundary between the troposphere below "where weather occurs" and stratosphere. During the Indian monsoon sometimes clouds and weather can occur even at this height, in case of a storm coming in from the Bay of Bengal. In such a case two alternate flight plans have been kept on hand. The decision to change to an alternate flight plan will be taken during the pilot’s briefing, just before the actual flight.
Q. Is it safe to view the eclipse?
A. Yes, with the safe solar goggles that we will be providing you it will be safe to view the eclipse during partial phases when the Sun is not totally covered by the Moon. During the Totality Phase it is completely safe to view the eclipse without any filter or goggles.
Q. Can I get good photographs of the eclipse out of an aircraft window?
A. Yes, but take some time and care to think about what camera, lenses, and exposures you might plan - and how you will hand-hold or mount your camera. Consider options like mini-tripods or removable suction cup fixture mounts (that can be affixed to the aircraft wall) or suspended by a "bungie cord" to relieve weight-fatigue in your hands. High speed film (for those using film) or high sensitivity digital exposures and vibration reduction or image stabilization lenses are very useful and helpful.
Q. Will the aircraft be stable to take pictures and videos?
A. The aircraft will be stable to take pictures and videos. Our primary endeavour will be to fly in weather free, no turbulence zone. The totality run has been calculated and will be fed in the aircraft’s flight management system; as such the autopilot will be taking us through the totality run without any shakes in a fixed heading. Though the high frequency vibrations of the aircraft cannot be avoided, they will have little effect on the short exposures needed for eclipse photography.
Q. What is the minimum equipment that I need to view the eclipse?
A. You will need safe solar goggles for your eyes to view the partial phases of the eclipse, when the Sun is not totally covered by the Moon. As soon as the totality phases start, eclipse can be viewed without any filters safely. In fact a binocular will be an added benefit to see the wisps of the corona. Be aware that at the time of Diamond ring, when the Sun emerges from behind the Moon, you will need the solar goggles handy, at a convenient place, to view the partial phases again.
Q. Will solar goggles be provided to view the eclipse?
A. Yes, we will be providing a safe and comfortable solar eclipse goggle for everyone on board.
Q. Do I need to carry a telescope to view the eclipse?
A. No, you will not require a telescope to view the eclipse, you won’t be able to hold it steady in your hands. Space in the aircraft is limited too. Low power binoculars like a 7X50 would definitely be an asset in observing the totality part of the eclipse.
Q. Which seat number will I get on the aircraft, is it an over wing seat?
A. Seats will be allotted at the time of booking itself on first-come-first-serve basis. We have the complete seating plan of the aircraft and you can choose your seat in advance. Even if you choose an over wing seat, at more than 15° the eclipse will still be high above the wing clearly visible from all seats.
Q. What is the actual size of an aircraft window?
A. The size of the window is height=13”, width 10½”.
Q. I would like to sit in the cockpit?
A. Indian Civil Aviation directives do not permit any passenger to enter the aircraft cockpit at any time.
Q. Will there be someone sitting on the seat next to me, trying to peep out of my window?
A. No, unless you have bought the next seat together with a friend of family member. Passengers sharing a sun-side seat row need to individually work out how they will share their window(s) during the eclipse.
Q. Will I get enough space in front of my seat to setup my photo gear, tripod etc. What is the seat pitch in this aircraft?
A. The seat pitch in this aircraft is 30 inches. There won’t be unlimited space, but certainly adequate space for equipment and photography. ECa representatives on-board will set the seat back tilt angles for specific rows to maximize the window accessibility for all eclipse viewers.
Q. What are the windows like? Will I get a good view?
A. The aircraft is newly acquired by JetLite and the aircraft windows are of good optical quality for visual, binocular observations and photography. We have arranged to have the windows cleaned just before the eclipse flight. The cabin interior lights will be extinguished during totality to eliminate glare or reflections on the window surfaces.
Q. Will I get any power point inside the aircraft to operate my laptop, charge camera batteries?
A. No, there is no possibility of getting power inside the aircraft for laptops, charging batteries. Please prepare yourself with extra batteries for your equipment and fully charge all chargeable batteries, before you board the plane, and desist from using the appliance till the main event.
Q. Will some knowledgeable person on board to explain the experience, answer queries about eclipses?
A. A representative from Eclipse Chasers Athenaeum will on board the flight to answer queries, make relevant announcements, countdown to the eclipse contact points and chart our aircraft totality run.
Q. Are kids allowed in-flight?
A. Kids are allowed on board accompanied by parents. We will be making an announcement after which no movement will be allowed in the plane.
Q. Can I get my picture clicked with the eclipse happening behind me?
A. Camera flashes will not be allowed inside the aircraft. All eclipse chasers must be familiar enough with their cameras to know how to switch off the automatic flashes, or put a dark tape on the flash.
Q. In case we are not able to view the eclipse because of weather will the amount be refunded?
A. It will be our endeavour to be at a location where weather will not interfere. Towards this end we have prepared two alternate flight paths which we will divert to in case of a high cloud ceiling on our primary flight plan. Weather is something which is beyond our control. No refunds can be made if the weather finally interferes with our eclipse flight.
Q. Is there any other extra charge to carry photo equipment?
A. There are no other charges to bring any photo equipment on board.
Q. In detail, what are the local circumstances of the eclipse as seen from the aircraft, i.e. what time does totality start, end and where will we see the eclipse?
A:
Time of intercept of plane and the Moon’s shadow...................... 06:26:07 IST
Flight Altitude................................................................. 41000ft or ~12500m
Heading:.................................................................................................................... 344.3°
Air Speed:............................................................................................................ 401nm/h
the circumstances of the total phase of the eclipse are as follows:
Totality duration.................................................................................................. 3m 55.2s
Mid-Eclipse intercept
Indian Standard Time........................................................................................ 06:26:07
Latitude..................................................................................................... N 25° 21’ 21.5”
Latitude...................................................................................................... E 85° 05’ 14.7”
Sun altitude.............................................................................................................. +15°
Sun Azimuth............................................................................................................. 74.3°
Second Contact (Start of Totality)
Indian Standard Time.................................................................. 06:24:08.5
Aircraft Latitude.................................................................... N 25° 08’ 42.5”
Aircraft Longitude...................................................................................... E 85° 09’ 10.3”
Sun altitude............................................................................................................ +14.6°
Sun azimuth............................................................................................................. 74.1°
Position Angle of Contact........................................................................................ 112.9°
Third Contact (End of Totality)
Indian Standard Time.................................................................. 06:28:03.7
Aircraft Latitude.................................................................... N 25° 33’ 53.8”
Aircraft Longitude...................................................................................... E 85° 01’ 21.0”
Sun altitude............................................................................................................ +15.4°
Sun azimuth............................................................................................................. 74.6°
Position Angle of Contact........................................................................................ 267.9°
Q. Will refreshments be served in-flight?
A. A sumptuous eclipse breakfast will be served on board the flight.
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