Iberia has organized a special flight to observe, at an altitude of over 10,000 meters, the most anticipated astronomical phenomenon of the year: the total solar eclipse on August 12th.
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To share this unique experience, the airline will broadcast the event live on its social media channels. This way, anyone can enjoy unprecedented images in real time from a privileged vantage point above the clouds.
The live broadcast will be possible thanks to the new high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity service with Starlink technology, which Iberia is progressively incorporating into its fleet and which provides Internet access throughout the flight. In addition to the broadcast, the flight will serve as a platform for a scientific mission involving a team of researchers from the Shelios project.
The special flight will be IB1473, in homage to the birth year of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. The flight will be operated with an Airbus A321XLR, one of the latest generation aircraft in Iberia’s fleet, and will take off from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport at 6:45 PM. The route has been designed to maximize viewing conditions for the eclipse over the province of Palencia. The crew will be led by Captain Javier Lopera Alcalá and pilot Javier Meana Fernández, the latter with a background in astrophysics.
On-board will be a group of researchers from the Shelios project, a scientific and educational initiative led by astronomer Miquel Serra-Ricart, scientific director of Light Bridges and researcher at the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics. “Observing from cruising altitude will allow us to have a clear view of the solar corona, free of cloud cover and other atmospheric phenomena that can hinder observation from the ground,” says Serra-Ricart.
In addition, the area surrounding the sun will be visible from the aircraft, including the apparent position of Venus, Mercury, and other visible stars.
The eclipse on August 12th will be the first total solar eclipse visible from the Iberian Peninsula since 1912, although the last one with similar characteristics was on August 30th 1905, which makes this event an astronomical event of special relevance.