The Longest Solar Eclipse Ever

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to chase a solar eclipse at supersonic speeds? In this video, we delve into the incredible story of how scientists in 1973 used Concorde, the legendary supersonic airliner, to extend their time in the Moon's shadow during one of the longest solar eclipses in history. Led by French astrophysicist Pierre Lena and piloted by Concorde test pilot Andre Turcat, this daring mission pushed the boundaries of aviation and scientific exploration. Join us as we uncover the fascinating journey of how a small team of visionaries managed to capture a rare glimpse into the mysteries of the Sun's corona, and don't forget to stick around until the end to find out how you can win in the next giveaway.

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Short on time? Feel free to skip ahead in this video using the chapter links below.

00:00 1973 Total Solar Eclipse
00:47 Preparing for the Eclipse
01:33 Using Concorde to chase the Eclipse
02:08 Basic Principles of a Solar Eclipse
03:55 Concorde's Eclipse Flight Plan
05:35 Modifying Concorde for the Eclipse
07:03 Concorde's Solar Eclipse Flight

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References:

3D Modeler: Orkun Zengin

Music used in this video:

As History Unfolds - Christoffer Moe Dittlevse
See You - Maxzwell
Go Down Swinging - NEFFEX
Sunrise Drive - South London HiFi
Cold War Games - Gabriel Lewis
Amalthea - Van Sandano
Stuck In The Air - The Tower of Light
Eternal Garden - Dan Henig

#concorde #aviation #solareclipse

[AlejandroFlores-vitl]

Can you imagine being a Tuareg nomad in the Sahara and suddenly the sky darkens, the sun disappears replaced by a ring of fire, then a strange object zips by faster than any bird and massive boom erupts around you and the sun returns.

[Papio]

Imagine Having An Eclipse thats 80 minutes long... truly one of the most unique moments in history.

[CrankThatFranck]

Just flying in Concorde #001 is already incredible, now imagine following an eclipse, extremely iconic.

[twentysevenlitres]

So Concorde 001 these days resides in the French Air Museum at Le Bourget Airport in Paris. It still has the portholes in the roof from the Solar Eclipse flight.
That air museum is now on my bucket list!

[chrisbrowning]

The eclipse these people experienced while on that Concorde flight must have been beyond words..

[davidcummings]

I love how they were allowed to cut up Concorde 001 for this unique experiment and how precise the flight plan was conducted manually with such skill.

[albaracheetah]

I drove 3 hours past into Arkansas and seen my first total eclipse today, it is a unique experience, mesmerizing.

[GoHARD]

To think this happened in 1973 and the job they did was incredible.things like this is why I love Science

[gorfhalo]

I had no idea that this experiment was conducted! It's incredible that the Concorde was able to keep up with the moon for that long!

[Planekid]

Concorde is such an amazing aircraft. I never heard about this story but I find it awesome that they did this. If I were to chose any aircraft to bring back It would be the concord. Using it for an eclipse is super awesome.

[EzraPB]

As someone who saw the 2017 and the eclipse yesterday I think this would be the best flight of all time

[sreevinayakjinu]

An Eclipse that lasts 3 minutes long in itself is one of the most beautiful things in nature... imagine it being 80 minutes long

[ludwigvanbeethoven]

In 1999, during a solar eclipse over Europe, three Concordes, one from France and two from Britain, briefly pursued the moon's shadow. The Concordes maintained presence in the shadow for approximately 4 to over 5 minutes, leveraging the aircraft's unique capability to exceed Mach 2. Passengers aboard these flights were tourists.

[dema]

Last year by chance I saw prototype 001 still in the “eclipse observatory” configuration in Paris. At first I didn’t get what it was all about, now thanks to this video I have a full picture and now I know how rare of a plane I’ve seen

[LianValentine-jeke]

Loved the fact that they leveraged the strengths of the Concorde for science like the only commercial aircraft that has the ability to supercruise at that time, boasting the large usable pressurized cabin among supersonic aircrafts and the best of all no 'classified' military technology to worry for when modifying.

[bakers]

The Concorde is one of my favorites! It was so far ahead of its time and the engineering put into it is incredible. Never knew about this mission. Great video, keep up the good work!

[conanotoole]

That one photograph of Concorde with the eclipse in the sky above it has got to be one of the greatest photos of one of the coolest achievements ever! It really is such a pity that we don't have anything like Concorde flying today, but hopefully in the near future commercial airliners go supersonic once again!

[rjalsultan]

The more I learn about Concorde and the amazing things it can do, the more it makes me wish for it to return, not only can it keep up with a celestial body for 80 minutes to witness a total eclipse! But also be a commercial airliner that can go from New York to Paris in only 3 hours is amazing! I love the Concorde

[sassvath]

The concord aka the coolest plane ever
The concord is so iconic also imagine having watched a solar eclipse for over an hour would have been a truly amazing sight to see
I also love and appreciate how much time and effort @primalspace put into this video

[rustix]

7:43 "Landed in Chad" a truly chad moment