[FPSPACE] FW: S&T: SPECTACULAR ARCTIC FLIGHT TO WITNESS TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

[LARRY KLAES]

>From: Lynn Cominsky <lynnc at universe.sonoma.edu>
>To: lynnc at universe.sonoma.edu
>Subject: S&T: SPECTACULAR ARCTIC FLIGHT TO WITNESS TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
>Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 12:42:51 -0700
>
>THE FOLLOWING RELEASE WAS RECEIVED FROM SKY & TELESCOPE MAGAZINE AND IS
>FORWARDED FOR YOUR INFORMATION. (FORWARDING DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT BY
>THE AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY.)  Lynn Cominsky, American Astronomical
>Society lynnc at universe.sonoma.edu  1-707-664-2655
>Acting Press Officer 5/5-5/14/08
>
>
>Contact: Sebastian Schmitz
>Airevents Ltd. / Deutsche Polarflug
>+49 251 74 74 678 / +49 178 217 58 05
>schmitz at polarflug.de
>
>NOTE: A small number of seats aboard the eclipse flight described below
>will be made available at no cost to major-market journalists who wish
>to cover the expedition. For more information, please send your 
>accreditation
>request and media affiliation to Sebastian Schmitz.
>
>
>SPECTACULAR ARCTIC FLIGHT TO WITNESS TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
>
>Friday, 1 August 2008, will see the first total solar eclipse in 2 1/2 
>years.
>But viewing it will be challenging, because the ground track goes from
>the high Arctic region across central Russia to north-central China.
>
>However, this rare and spectacular phenomenon will be seen easily - with
>a guarantee of clear skies and good views -- thanks to a special airborne
>expedition on eclipse day.  This dramatic midair encounter over the frozen
>Arctic is possible thanks to a unique international collaboration involving
>Deutsche Polarflug (a subsidiary of Airevents Ltd.), LTU / Air Berlin,
>TravelQuest International, and Sky & Telescope magazine.
>
>Before dawn on 1 August, a state-of-the-art Airbus A330-200 aircraft,
>operated by LTU / Air Berlin, will depart from Duesseldorf and head north.
>Flying across Denmark, Norway and the Svalbard archipelago, the plane will
>circle the North Pole about halfway through its 12-hour flight. Then the
>crew will turn southward and use sophisticated computer-aided computations 
>to
>intercept the Moon's shadow at an optimized location.
>
>For nearly three minutes, our Airbus will be surrounded by complete 
>darkness
>in midday. At an altitude of about 11,300 m (37,000 feet), above roughly 
>75%
>of Earth's murky atmosphere, the darkened Sun and its glowing, feathery
>atmosphere (corona) will be visible in a sky suddenly adorned with bright
>stars and planets. Additionally, due to the plane's motion along the track,
>passengers will observe the eclipse longer than is possible from anywhere 
>on
>the ground.
>
>Passengers will include scientists and eclipse-chasers from all over the
>world. Among them are eclipse experts Dr. Glenn Schneider (University of
>Arizona) and Kelly Beatty (Sky & Telescope). Viewers will occupy seats on
>both sides of the aircraft, though the eclipse will be observable only from
>the starboard windows. Details about the flight are available at
>www.tq-international.com/NorthPoleFlight2008/NPFlighthome.htm. Reservations
>can be made on our website (www.polarflug.de), as well as through selected
>travel agents in Germany and abroad.
>
>
>About Airevents / Deutsche Polarflug
>
>Airevents was founded in 1998 and has since operated sightseeing and 
>special
>flights. In 2007, our Deutsche Polarflug brand was launched, offering 
>annual
>North Pole Sightseeing Flights as well as other sightseeing and expedition
>trips. Our main partner is the German airline LTU, a subsidiary of the Air
>Berlin Group. The aircraft used for the Polar Flights is a modern Airbus
>A330-200, which can usually be found on the airline´s long-haul network.
>
>Serving as something of a test run for the eclipse encounter, Deutsche
>Polarflug successfully completed its second North Pole Sightseeing Flight 
>on 1
>May. The high-altitude vantage provided spectacular Arctic views for the
>278 passengers aboard.
>
>High-resolution images from prior flights are available at 
>press.polarflug.de.
>
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