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.
The National Air and Space Museum of France offers a thrilling experience for aviation enthusiasts, housing several historic aircraft. Among them is the iconic Concorde F-WTSS 001 prototype, a sight that evokes awe in science enthusiasts. Behind its long nose, a painted map traces the path of a total solar eclipse that swept across Africa in June 1973.
This remarkable feat was achieved by a group of eight scientists who set a new world record by observing the eclipse for an astonishing 74 minutes. They accomplished this by flying the Concorde 001 prototype at more than twice the speed of sound. This extraordinary speed enabled the scientists to observe the eclipse for more than nine times the maximum duration of totality on the ground, which is typically around 7.5 minutes in equatorial regions.
In contrast, the upcoming solar eclipse on August 12, visible from parts of Europe, will have a maximum duration of totality of slightly more than two minutes from the ground.
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