Skygazers Take Flight To Hawaii Get Best View Of Total Solar Eclipse
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CBS/AP) -- Skygazers from around the country caught a flight from Alaska to Hawaii on Tuesday for prime viewing of a total solar eclipse as it unfolds over parts of Indonesia and the Indian and Pacific oceans.
A dozen eclipse enthusiasts were among the passengers on the plane set to leave Anchorage for Honolulu. The rare event comes when the moon is close enough to Earth to completely block out the sun.
CLICK HERE: Watch The Total Solar Eclipse Live From Micronesia
Joseph Rao, an associate astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium, called Alaska Airlines last fall, explaining that the flight would be in the right place for the eclipse, airline representatives say.
The route was expected to encounter the darkest shadow of the moon has it passed over Earth.
Problem was, the plane would be passing by too early.
Alaska Airlines said it rescheduled the flight to depart 25 minutes later, leading Rao and a dozen other astronomy aficionados to book seats for the big show at 36,000 feet.
The eclipse was expected to last just under two minutes. The last total solar eclipse was in March 2015, and the one before that was in 2012.
One of those scheduled to take the flight is Dan McGlaun, who planned to bring pairs of special filter classes to distribute to other passengers.
Also aboard was Craig Small, a semiretired Hayden Planetarium astronomer viewing his 31st total eclipse.
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