The ultimate eclipse chase: A Concorde raced against the Moon's shadow
摘要
1973年6月，一架协和式001号原型机以超过两倍音速飞行，追逐月影，使机上科学家连续观测日全食长达74分钟，创下世界纪录。相比之下，地面观测日全食的最长持续时间约为7.5分钟，而即将到来的8月12日日食，地面观测全食阶段最长仅两分多钟。这架飞机现展出于法国巴黎勒布尔热航空航天博物馆，机头后方绘有当年日食路径图，成为航空与科学爱好者的共同看点。
A walk down the tarmac at the National Air and Space Museum of France is guaranteed to thrill aviation enthusiasts. Several civilian and military aircraft of the past and the present are showcased in this museum, located at the Paris-Le Bourget airport. One of them is the legendary Concorde F-WTSS 001 prototype, the sight of which should give goosebumps to science enthusiasts as well.
That’s because right behind its long nose is a painted map that traces the path of a June 1973 total solar eclipse across Africa. It’s there on the Concorde 001 prototype because a group of eight scientists set a new world record of observing a total solar eclipse for 74 minutes by flying this aircraft at more than twice the speed of sound.
To put this figure into context, the maximum duration of totality on the ground is around 7.5 minutes when an eclipse is observed in the equatorial regions. For the upcoming solar eclipse of August 12, which can be seen from parts of Europe, the maximum duration of totality from the ground will be slightly more than two minutes.
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