|
m "is"
|
Copy edit, inc Brit Eng
|
||
| (One intermediate revision by one other user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|Longest total solar eclipse observation}} |
{{Short description|Longest total solar eclipse observation}} |
||
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} |
|||
{{Use British English|date=May 2024}} |
|||
{{Infobox event |
{{Infobox event |
||
| title = 1973 Concorde eclipse flight |
| title = 1973 Concorde eclipse flight |
||
| Line 40: | Line 42: | ||
}} |
}} |
||
On June |
On30 June 1973, the [[Supersonic transport|supersonic]] jet [[Concorde]] 001 intercepted the path of [[Solar eclipse of June 30, 1973|a total solar eclipse]] and followed the path of totality as it crossed [[Africa]]. This feat allowed the passengers to experience a total solar eclipse for 74 minutes, the longest-ever total eclipse observation. Five experiments were carried out during the flight, but they have had limited scientific impact. |
||
== Sequence of events == |
== Sequence of events == |
||
=== Preparation and lead up === |
=== Preparation and lead up === |
||
In May 1972, [[Pierre Léna]], an astronomer with the [[Paris Observatory]], met with French Concorde test pilot |
In May 1972, [[Pierre Léna]], an astronomer with the [[Paris Observatory]], met with French Concorde test pilot [[André Turcat]] over lunch at a restaurant at [[Toulouse Airport]] to propose his idea to view the 1973 eclipse from an aircraft.<ref name=":2" /> Léna describes this meeting in his book about the project, ''Concorde 001 et l’ombre de la Lune'' (2015), while Turcat describes it in ''Un mythe éclipsé'' in ''Bulletin de l’Académie des sciences, agriculture, arts et belles lettres d’Aix-en-Provence'' (2013).<ref name=":3" /> British [[Astrophysics|astrophysicist]] John Beckman had previously tried to obtain permission to use the 002 Concorde prototype to conduct a similar experiment, but was turned down.<ref name=":2" /> |
||
In autumn 1972, Léna was told that he, Turcat |
In autumn 1972, Léna was told that he, Turcat and their teams could begin work, but that no firm decision would be made about the flight before February 1973. On 2 February, it was announced that the flight would proceed. The scientists were able to carry out a test flight with their equipment on17 May 1973, in their maiden supersonic flight. The final 2-hour-and-36-minute rehearsal flight took place on28 June.<ref name=":3" /> |
||
=== |
=== 30 June 1973 === |
||
[[File:SE1973Jun30T.png|alt=A map of earth showing the path of totality of the June 30, 1973 solar eclipse as it crosses Africa|thumb|The path of totality of the eclipse]] |
[[File:SE1973Jun30T.png|alt=A map of earth showing the path of totality of the June 30, 1973 solar eclipse as it crosses Africa|thumb|The path of totality of the eclipse]] |
||
At 10:08 [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]] on |
At 10:08 [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]] on 30 June 1973, Concorde 001 departed [[Las Palmas]], [[Gran Canaria]], piloted by André Turcat and Jean Dabo.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Jamie |date=2024-04-05 |title=How the supersonic Concorde jet broke the record for the longest total solar eclipse in history |url=https://www.space.com/how-concorde-broke-record-for-longest-total-solar-eclipse-in-history |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Hatherill |first=Chris |date=2016-03-09 |title=When Astronomers Chased a Total Eclipse in a Concorde |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/8q8qwk/the-concorde-and-the-longest-solar-eclipse |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Vice |language=en}}</ref> Aboard the flight were Turcat and Dabo; flight mechanic Michel Rétif; radio navigator Hubert Guyonnet; Henri Perrier; and astronomers Léna, Beckman, Donald Hall, [[Donald Liebenberg]], Alain Soufflot, Paul Wraight, and Serge Koutchmy.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Léna |first=Pierre |author-link=Pierre Léna |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-319-21729-1 |title=Racing the Moon's Shadow with Concorde 001 |publisher=Springer International Publishing |year=2015 |isbn=978-3-319-21728-4 |series=Astronomers' Universe |location= |language=en |translator-last=Lyle |translator-first=Stephen |trans-title=Concorde 001 et l’ombre de la Lune |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-21729-1|bibcode=2015rmsc.book.....L }}</ref> |
||
The plane intercepted the path of totality over [[Mauritania]] within |
The plane intercepted the path of totality over [[Mauritania]] within one second of the planned rendezvous<ref name=":2" /> and flew at an altitude of 58,000 feet at [[Mach number|Mach 2]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Pappalardo |first=Joe |date=2023-06-30 |title=A supersonic jet chased a solar eclipse across Africa—for science |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/supersonic-concorde-jet-chased-total-solar-eclipse-across-africa |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=National Geographic |language=en}}</ref> Mauritania closed its airspace to commercial air traffic to ensure the success of the Concorde's flight.<ref name=":2" /> The aircraft flew in the lunar shadow over the [[Sahara]] including [[Mali]], [[Nigeria]] and [[Niger]], before landing in [[Fort-Lamy]] (present-day N'Djamena),in [[Chad]].<ref name=":1" /> |
||
On the ground on Earth, the longest possible viewing of totality of this eclipse from a fixed location was 7 minutes and 4 seconds.{{refn|group=Note|Comparatively, the maximum duration for a total solar eclipse is 7 minutes 31 seconds.<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Joe Rao |date=2023-06-30 |title=One of the longest solar eclipses on Earth darkened the sky 50 years ago. Here's how it happened. |url=https://www.space.com/solar-eclipse-1973 |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref>}} The Concorde experienced 74 minutes of totality with an extended [[Astronomical transit#Contacts|second contact]] of 7 minutes and extended [[Astronomical transit#Contacts|third contact]] of 12 minutes.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> |
On the ground on Earth, the longest possible viewing of totality of this eclipse from a fixed location was 7 minutes and 4 seconds.{{refn|group=Note|Comparatively, the maximum possible duration for a terrestrially viewed total solar eclipse is 7 minutes 31 seconds.<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Joe Rao |date=2023-06-30 |title=One of the longest solar eclipses on Earth darkened the sky 50 years ago. Here's how it happened. |url=https://www.space.com/solar-eclipse-1973 |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref>}} The Concorde experienced 74 minutes of totality with an extended [[Astronomical transit#Contacts|second contact]] of 7 minutes and extended [[Astronomical transit#Contacts|third contact]] of 12 minutes.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> |
||
== Aircraft == |
== Aircraft == |
||
| Line 61: | Line 63: | ||
The original Concorde prototype 001 made its first test flight in 1969 from Toulouse Airport.<ref name=":3" /> The specific modified version of the aircraft used for this experiment was the Concorde 001 registered as F-WTSS.<ref name=":3" /> The aircraft has four twin-spool Olympus 593 engines and two onboard [[Inertial navigation system|inertial guidance systems]]. Four specially-made [[porthole]]s were installed in the roof of the aircraft's [[fuselage]] to facilitate viewing of the Sun.<ref name=":2" /> Infrared and optical cameras were installed in portholes in the plane's roof to capture the Sun's [[Stellar corona|corona]] with less atmospheric interference than there would be from the ground.<ref name=":1" /> |
The original Concorde prototype 001 made its first test flight in 1969 from Toulouse Airport.<ref name=":3" /> The specific modified version of the aircraft used for this experiment was the Concorde 001 registered as F-WTSS.<ref name=":3" /> The aircraft has four twin-spool Olympus 593 engines and two onboard [[Inertial navigation system|inertial guidance systems]]. Four specially-made [[porthole]]s were installed in the roof of the aircraft's [[fuselage]] to facilitate viewing of the Sun.<ref name=":2" /> Infrared and optical cameras were installed in portholes in the plane's roof to capture the Sun's [[Stellar corona|corona]] with less atmospheric interference than there would be from the ground.<ref name=":1" /> |
||
F-WTSS is now on display as an exhibit at the [[Musée de l'air et de l'espace|Musée de l’air et de l’espace]] in [[France]] |
F-WTSS is now on display as an exhibit at the [[Musée de l'air et de l'espace|Musée de l’air et de l’espace]] in [[France]] along with [[Air France]] Concorde 213, registered as F-BTSD.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> |
||
== Scientific observations == |
== Scientific observations == |
||
| Line 67: | Line 69: | ||
== Legacy == |
== Legacy == |
||
Though this event garnered wide and lasting media attention, solar researchers |
Though this event garnered wide and lasting media attention, solar researchers generally agree that the Concorde's flight has had limited scientific impact.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pappalardo |first=Joe |date=2023-06-30 |title=A supersonic jet chased a solar eclipse across Africa—for science |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/supersonic-concorde-jet-chased-total-solar-eclipse-across-africa |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=National Geographic |language=en |quote=The record-breaking flight made global headlines, and the Concorde that flew the mission has been enshrined in its eclipse-chasing variant at the French National Air and Space Museum. But solar researchers acknowledge that the flight only had a modest impact on our understanding of the sun.}}</ref> Kevin Reardon of the [[National Solar Observatory]] said of the flight, "Strangely no significant results were ever published from the effort. [...] The overall science output was not as notable as the flight itself."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pappalardo |first=Joe |date=2023-06-30 |title=A supersonic jet chased a solar eclipse across Africa—for science |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/supersonic-concorde-jet-chased-total-solar-eclipse-across-africa |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=National Geographic |language=en |quote=But as time went on, no major revelations were announced. The experiments on the Concorde produced results that went largely unused. Even measuring the five-minute oscillations in coronal intensity didn’t spark any further scientific insights. "Strangely no significant results were ever published from the effort", says the National Solar Observatory’s Reardon, who is also an adjunct astronomy professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. [...] "The overall science output was not as notable as the flight itself", Reardon summed up.}}</ref> Léna himself has admitted, "The five experiments all succeeded, but none of them revolutionized our understanding of the corona" and that "[the experiments] all played their role in the normal progression of scientific knowledge, but there were no extraordinary results."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hatherill |first=Chris |date=2016-03-09 |title=When Astronomers Chased a Total Eclipse in a Concorde |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/8q8qwk/the-concorde-and-the-longest-solar-eclipse |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Vice |language=en |quote=But today Léna, who has recently published a book in French and English about the experiment, ''Racing the Moon's Shadow with Concorde 001'', is modest about what it accomplished. "The five experiments all succeeded, but none of them revolutionized our understanding of the corona," he says in a disarmingly honest way about the flight's immediate impact. "They all played their role in the normal progression of scientific knowledge, but there were no extraordinary results, it has to be said."}}</ref> |
||
On [[Solar eclipse of August 11, 1999|August |
On [[Solar eclipse of August 11, 1999|11August 1999]], three Concorde aircraft — one from France and two from the [[United Kingdom]] — carried out a similar feat carrying tourists instead of scientists. Passengers paid $2,400, but experienced only four or five minutes of totality, which was difficult to see because of the aircraft's small windows and the location of the Sun. A similar flight was planned for the [[Solar eclipse of June 21, 2001|21June 2001 solar eclipse]], but was cancelled after the 2000 plane crash of [[Air France Flight 4590]].<ref name=":0" /> Airborne [[eclipse chasing]] has been successfully attempted on other non-supersonic aircraft including a [[LATAM Airlines]] [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner|Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner]] (E-Flight 2019-MAX),<ref name=":0" /> and a 2024 Gulfstream V jet.<ref name=":1" /> |
||
The Concorde's 74 minutes of totality remains the longest total eclipse observation.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Grossman |first=Lisa |title=Longest Eclipse Ever: Airplane Chases the Moon's Shadow |url=https://www.wired.com/2010/07/eclipse-chasers/ |access-date=2024-05-01 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> |
The Concorde's 74 minutes of totality remains the longest-ever total eclipse observation.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Grossman |first=Lisa |title=Longest Eclipse Ever: Airplane Chases the Moon's Shadow |url=https://www.wired.com/2010/07/eclipse-chasers/ |access-date=2024-05-01 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> |
||
== Notes == |
== Notes == |
||
| Date | June 30, 1973 (1973-06-30) |
|---|---|
| Location | Sahara |
| Participants |
|
On 30 June 1973, the supersonic jet Concorde 001 intercepted the path of a total solar eclipse and followed the path of totality as it crossed Africa. This feat allowed the passengers to experience a total solar eclipse for 74 minutes, the longest-ever total eclipse observation. Five experiments were carried out during the flight, but they have had limited scientific impact.
In May 1972, Pierre Léna, an astronomer with the Paris Observatory, met with French Concorde test pilot André Turcat over lunch at a restaurant at Toulouse Airport to propose his idea to view the 1973 eclipse from an aircraft.[1] Léna describes this meeting in his book about the project, Concorde 001 et l’ombre de la Lune (2015), while Turcat describes it in Un mythe éclipséinBulletin de l’Académie des sciences, agriculture, arts et belles lettres d’Aix-en-Provence (2013).[2] British astrophysicist John Beckman had previously tried to obtain permission to use the 002 Concorde prototype to conduct a similar experiment, but was turned down.[1]
In autumn 1972, Léna was told that he, Turcat and their teams could begin work, but that no firm decision would be made about the flight before February 1973. On 2 February, it was announced that the flight would proceed. The scientists were able to carry out a test flight with their equipment on 17 May 1973, in their maiden supersonic flight. The final 2-hour-and-36-minute rehearsal flight took place on 28 June.[2]
At 10:08 GMT on 30 June 1973, Concorde 001 departed Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, piloted by André Turcat and Jean Dabo.[3][1] Aboard the flight were Turcat and Dabo; flight mechanic Michel Rétif; radio navigator Hubert Guyonnet; Henri Perrier; and astronomers Léna, Beckman, Donald Hall, Donald Liebenberg, Alain Soufflot, Paul Wraight, and Serge Koutchmy.[2]
The plane intercepted the path of totality over Mauritania within one second of the planned rendezvous[1] and flew at an altitude of 58,000 feet at Mach 2.[4] Mauritania closed its airspace to commercial air traffic to ensure the success of the Concorde's flight.[1] The aircraft flew in the lunar shadow over the Sahara including Mali, Nigeria and Niger, before landing in Fort-Lamy (present-day N'Djamena), in Chad.[4]
On the ground on Earth, the longest possible viewing of totality of this eclipse from a fixed location was 7 minutes and 4 seconds.[Note 1] The Concorde experienced 74 minutes of totality with an extended second contact of 7 minutes and extended third contact of 12 minutes.[3][6]
The original Concorde prototype 001 made its first test flight in 1969 from Toulouse Airport.[2] The specific modified version of the aircraft used for this experiment was the Concorde 001 registered as F-WTSS.[2] The aircraft has four twin-spool Olympus 593 engines and two onboard inertial guidance systems. Four specially-made portholes were installed in the roof of the aircraft's fuselage to facilitate viewing of the Sun.[1] Infrared and optical cameras were installed in portholes in the plane's roof to capture the Sun's corona with less atmospheric interference than there would be from the ground.[4]
F-WTSS is now on display as an exhibit at the Musée de l’air et de l’espaceinFrance along with Air France Concorde 213, registered as F-BTSD.[4][1]
Five experiments were carried out during the 1973 Concorde 001 flight.[6] Léna and his team (Université Paris) focused their efforts on studying the F-corona (the outer part of the Sun's corona, made up of dust particles).[2] Wraight (University of Aberdeen) measured the effects of the eclipse on oxygen atoms in the Earth's atmosphere through a side-porthole. Liebenberg (University of California, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratories) measured pulsations in light intensity, while Beckman (Queen Mary College) observed the far infrared emissions from the chromosphere.[1][6]
Though this event garnered wide and lasting media attention, solar researchers generally agree that the Concorde's flight has had limited scientific impact.[7] Kevin Reardon of the National Solar Observatory said of the flight, "Strangely no significant results were ever published from the effort. [...] The overall science output was not as notable as the flight itself."[8] Léna himself has admitted, "The five experiments all succeeded, but none of them revolutionized our understanding of the corona" and that "[the experiments] all played their role in the normal progression of scientific knowledge, but there were no extraordinary results."[9]
On11 August 1999, three Concorde aircraft — one from France and two from the United Kingdom — carried out a similar feat carrying tourists instead of scientists. Passengers paid $2,400, but experienced only four or five minutes of totality, which was difficult to see because of the aircraft's small windows and the location of the Sun. A similar flight was planned for the 21 June 2001 solar eclipse, but was cancelled after the 2000 plane crash of Air France Flight 4590.[3] Airborne eclipse chasing has been successfully attempted on other non-supersonic aircraft including a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (E-Flight 2019-MAX),[3] and a 2024 Gulfstream V jet.[4]
The Concorde's 74 minutes of totality remains the longest-ever total eclipse observation.[4][10]
The record-breaking flight made global headlines, and the Concorde that flew the mission has been enshrined in its eclipse-chasing variant at the French National Air and Space Museum. But solar researchers acknowledge that the flight only had a modest impact on our understanding of the sun.
But as time went on, no major revelations were announced. The experiments on the Concorde produced results that went largely unused. Even measuring the five-minute oscillations in coronal intensity didn't spark any further scientific insights. "Strangely no significant results were ever published from the effort", says the National Solar Observatory's Reardon, who is also an adjunct astronomy professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. [...] "The overall science output was not as notable as the flight itself", Reardon summed up.
But today Léna, who has recently published a book in French and English about the experiment, Racing the Moon's Shadow with Concorde 001, is modest about what it accomplished. "The five experiments all succeeded, but none of them revolutionized our understanding of the corona," he says in a disarmingly honest way about the flight's immediate impact. "They all played their role in the normal progression of scientific knowledge, but there were no extraordinary results, it has to be said."
