Imagine flying in a plane that can chase the Moon’s shadow across the sky! That’s exactly what happened in 1973 when a special plane called the Concorde flew over Africa to experience a solar eclipse like no other. Usually, a total solar eclipse only lasts a few minutes, but this time, scientists managed to stay in the Moon’s shadow for an incredible 74 minutes. Let’s dive into this exciting adventure and learn how they did it!
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun’s light and casting a shadow on Earth. In some places, people see a partial eclipse, but in the center of the shadow, the Sun is completely covered, creating a total eclipse. During the 1973 eclipse, the shadow started in South America and traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to Africa, moving at a speed of about 2,200 km/h.
French astrophysicist Pierre Lena was excited about this eclipse because it was one of the longest in history, lasting over 7 minutes. He wanted to study the Sun’s corona, a hot outer layer that becomes visible during an eclipse. To do this, he needed a plane that could keep up with the Moon’s shadow. Pierre teamed up with André Turcat, a legendary test pilot, to use the Concorde, a supersonic jet, for this mission.
The Concorde was chosen because it could fly fast and had enough space for scientific equipment. Pierre and André planned a flight path that would allow them to stay in the shadow as long as possible. They decided to take off from Gran Canaria, an island with a suitable runway, and intercept the shadow over Mauritania in Africa.
On June 30th, the Concorde took off, and André had to make precise adjustments to ensure they reached the shadow at the right time. Despite some challenges with the weather, the Concorde arrived just 1 second late and only a kilometer off course. As the Sun disappeared behind the Moon, the sky turned dark, and the stars became visible, even though it was midday!
During the 74 minutes in the Moon’s shadow, scientists on board used special telescopes to study the Sun’s corona. They discovered new things about the corona, like acoustic waves that make it pulse every 5 minutes. This mission helped scientists learn more about the Sun and our solar system.
This incredible flight remains the longest solar eclipse experience by humans and is a record that might stand for centuries. The Concorde’s journey was not just a scientific success but also a beautiful spectacle for everyone on board.
And that’s the story of how a team of scientists and pilots chased the longest solar eclipse ever! It’s amazing what can be achieved with careful planning and a bit of adventure.
Using a flashlight, a small ball (like a ping pong ball), and a larger ball (like a basketball), create a model to demonstrate how a solar eclipse occurs. Shine the flashlight on the larger ball to represent the Sun and use the smaller ball to represent the Moon. Move the smaller ball between the flashlight and the larger ball to see how the shadow is cast. Discuss with your classmates what you observe and how this relates to the real solar eclipse.
Research the Concorde, the supersonic jet used in the 1973 eclipse chase. Prepare a short presentation about its features, speed, and why it was chosen for this mission. Share your findings with the class, highlighting how its capabilities made the eclipse chase possible.
Using the information that the Moon’s shadow traveled at about 2,200 km/h, calculate how far the shadow traveled during the 74 minutes of the eclipse. Show your calculations and discuss how this speed compares to everyday speeds, like those of cars or planes.
Research the Sun’s corona and its significance. Create a poster that explains what the corona is, why it can only be seen during a total solar eclipse, and what scientists learned about it during the 1973 eclipse. Display your poster in the classroom for others to learn from.
Imagine you are a scientist on the Concorde during the 1973 eclipse. Write a creative story about your experience, describing what you see and feel as the eclipse happens. Include details about the challenges and discoveries made during the flight. Share your story with the class.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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This is Concorde flying over Africa on a flight like no other. The sun, which was directly above Concorde, just went completely dark in what was to become a unique solar eclipse. Total solar eclipses are rare and typically only last for a few minutes, but in 1973, scientists were able to experience 74 minutes in the Moon’s shadow by flying in the only vehicle capable of chasing an eclipse. This incredible mission required pinpoint accuracy and timing to intercept the Moon’s shadow as it traveled at over 2,000 km/h across the Earth’s surface. We modeled the entire mission to show you what it looked like and how a small team of scientists managed to pull it off.
In 1972, French astrophysicist Pierre Lena began preparing for the upcoming eclipse. This was to be one of the longest in history, with a duration of over 7 minutes. An eclipse this long wouldn’t happen for another 200 years, so he was eager to make the most of it. He was particularly interested in observing the Sun’s corona, the area of hot gas where temperatures shoot from 5,000 degrees to over 1 million degrees. The corona is usually invisible from Earth, but during an eclipse, the sun disappears and the corona lights up. However, studying the corona is difficult even during an eclipse, as clouds and the Earth’s atmosphere can obstruct the view. For the 1973 eclipse, Pierre wanted to enhance their observations.
Pierre asked legendary Concorde test pilot André Turcat if he could use Concorde to chase down the eclipse and equip the plane with scientific instruments. Aerospatiale, the French side of Concorde, was excited about the idea and allowed him to use prototype 001 for the flight, with Turcat piloting the aircraft. Although there were faster planes available, none could match the endurance or cabin space of Concorde. Pierre and Turcat worked on a flight plan that would maximize their time in the Moon’s shadow.
Before we look at how the flight worked, we need to understand the basic principles of solar eclipses. An eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, blocking its light and casting a large shadow over Earth. Most areas within the shadow experience only a partial eclipse, but at the center of the shadow is a smaller area where the Sun is fully blocked. This is where the total eclipse occurs. As the Moon moves, the shadow also moves across the Earth’s surface, meaning any point along the path will only experience a few minutes of complete darkness. For the 1973 eclipse, the shadow was set to begin at the edge of South America and travel over to Africa, where totality would be at its fullest. It would be moving over the ground at around 2,200 km/h, slightly faster than Concorde’s top speed. Pierre and his team had to figure out how to stay in the Moon’s shadow for as long as possible before it eventually overtook them.
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To stay in the Moon’s shadow for as long as possible, Concorde had to follow a precise flight plan. The best chance for achieving this was over Africa, but there were limited options for airports. Most runways in Africa were too short for Concorde, and the hot conditions meant that Concorde would have to carry less fuel during takeoff. They eventually settled on the island of Gran Canaria, which had a cooler climate and a suitable runway. The plan was to take off, fly south, and intercept the Moon’s shadow at a specific point over Mauritania, then follow the shadow across the Sahara Desert.
However, the path of the shadow wasn’t straight and followed a large curve, making scientific observations from inside Concorde challenging if it had to constantly make turns. Pierre and his team devised a straight-line path that would touch the northern edge of the shadow, cross to its southern edge, and end at its northern edge. This would give them up to 80 minutes in the shadow without needing to make any turns. Since the shadow would be traveling slightly faster than Concorde, the team had to meet the shadow at a precise point on its leading edge. Arriving more than 15 seconds late or a kilometer off would result in a significantly reduced time in totality. Achieving such precision with all the variables of weather was a considerable challenge. Fortunately, André Turcat was one of the best pilots around and knew Concorde better than anyone.
With a solid flight plan, Pierre recruited four other teams of scientists to conduct experiments on board Concorde. Since Concorde was going to fly over the equator, the eclipse would be directly above the aircraft, so holes were cut into the roof of Concorde, and special windows were installed to provide scientists with a clear view of the eclipse. All the seats were removed from the cabin, and the electrical supply was modified to power the scientific instruments. After weeks of modifications, the fastest science observatory in the world was ready to make history.
On June 30th, at precisely 10:08 in the morning, Concorde began rolling down runway 21. Turcat decided to take off 20 seconds early to account for any headwinds that might slow Concorde down. This turned out to be a wise choice, as the weather that morning was turbulent, and they lost 8 seconds during the climb to altitude. With 12 seconds still to lose before reaching the intercept point, Turcat deployed small air brakes to carefully reduce speed. This adjustment brought them closer to the correct arrival time, but the winds remained unpredictable, causing Concorde to fall 4 seconds behind schedule with just a few minutes to go.
To make up for this, Turcat briefly pushed the engines past their maximum operating speed of Mach 2.2, and Concorde arrived at the intercept point just 1 second late and only a kilometer off course. At that moment, the sun fully disappeared behind the Moon, and Concorde was now in complete darkness. Despite it being midday, the stars became visible, and the scientists could see the Sun’s corona through their windows. Concorde was racing against time and the Moon itself, and the scientists got to work.
Pierre and his team had developed a telescope to measure the infrared light coming from the Sun’s corona. During the 74 minutes in the Moon’s shadow, they made measurements that advanced our understanding of zodiacal light, the layer of dust in our solar system that gets illuminated by the Sun. The team from the U.S. discovered that the Sun’s corona has acoustic waves that cause it to pulse every 5 minutes. Concorde flew perfectly for 74 minutes before leaving the Moon’s shadow and landing in Chad. For the scientists and pilots on board, they witnessed one of the most beautiful spectacles from a unique vantage point. This remains the longest eclipse experienced by humans, a record that will likely stand for centuries.
Now for the Primal Space giveaway. The winner of the previous giveaway is Bruno. Congratulations! In the next video, we’ll be giving away a Primal Space-designed Concorde poster available in our store. To enter, sign up at the link below, like the video, and leave a comment sharing your thoughts about Concorde and this eclipse flight. Thank you for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video.
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This version removes any promotional content and maintains the informative nature of the transcript.
Solar – Related to the sun or derived from the sun’s energy. – The solar panels on the roof convert sunlight into electricity for the house.
Eclipse – An event where one celestial body moves into the shadow of another celestial body. – During the solar eclipse, the moon passed between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sunlight.
Moon – The natural satellite that orbits the Earth and is visible by reflected light from the sun. – The moon’s surface is covered with craters from meteor impacts.
Shadow – A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface. – When the Earth casts its shadow on the moon, a lunar eclipse occurs.
Sun – The star at the center of our solar system that provides light and heat to the planets. – The sun is essential for life on Earth, as it provides the energy needed for plants to grow.
Africa – A continent that can be a prime location for observing celestial events due to its clear skies. – Many people traveled to Africa to get the best view of the total solar eclipse.
Scientists – People who study or have expert knowledge in science, especially in fields like physics and astronomy. – Scientists use telescopes to study distant stars and galaxies.
Corona – The outermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere, visible during a total solar eclipse. – During the eclipse, the sun’s corona appeared as a glowing halo around the moon.
Flight – The act of flying, often used in the context of space travel or observing celestial events from the air. – The scientists took a flight to a remote location to observe the meteor shower without light pollution.
Telescopes – Instruments that make distant objects appear closer and larger, used for observing celestial bodies. – Telescopes allowed the students to see the rings of Saturn clearly during their astronomy class.
