A solar eclipse caused an Alaska Airlines flight to redirect briefly so passengers could enjoy the view at about 35,000 feet in the air.
The change of plans was established a year ago, when passenger Joseph Rao, associate astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium, realized that the eclipse’s path would intersect with his flight path — almost half an hour before his flight arrived, according to Alaska Airlines blog.
Rao called the airline, and officials decided to adjust the flight so passengers could experience the eclipse from the air.
The University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory’s Glenn Schneider organized the new plan for the flight and Rao presented them to airline officials, who moved the departure time to 25 minutes later.
The flight from Anchorage to Honolulu held about a dozen astronomers and “eclipse chasers,” along with about 150 other passengers.
