Australians may have a few of the best views of the “super blood moon” this week, however passengers on a one-time flight departing from Sydney may have an excellent higher one.
The Australian airline Qantas will function a three-hour flight on Wednesday (Tuesday night within the United States) for about 100 passengers to see the moon enter the Earth’s shadow and switch a blood purple shade throughout a complete lunar eclipse.
An astronomer from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia’s nationwide science and analysis company, labored with the flight’s pilots to “design the optimal flight path,” a press release from the airline mentioned. The astronomer, Vanessa Moss, can even be aboard the aircraft to teach passengers on the lunar event.
The flight will climb to a cruising altitude of 43,000 toes, “above any potential cloud cover and atmosphere pollution,” the assertion mentioned — the utmost altitude for the aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. “Cosmic cocktails and supermoon cakes” can be served.
Stephanie Tully, chief buyer officer of Qantas, mentioned the flight was made for “anyone with a passion for astronomy, science, space photography, aviation or just keen to do something a little out of this world.”
Tickets went on sale this month for 499 Australian {dollars} (about $386) for financial system class and 1,499 Australian {dollars} (about $1,162) for enterprise class.
The tickets sold out in lower than half an hour.
The flight will depart from and return to Sydney Airport, starting with a scenic route over Sydney Harbour. Australia’s travel restrictions have been among the many world’s harshest, with the federal government largely prohibiting worldwide journey into or in a foreign country, even for its personal residents.
Other “flights to nowhere” have departed all through the pandemic as airways scrambled to handle the sharp decline in journey. In October, a Qantas flight flew over Australia’s Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales, departing from and touchdown in Sydney. Tickets for the flight offered out in 10 minutes.
Climate activists have criticized the flights as pointless and dangerous to the setting. Qantas famous that it could offset carbon emissions for its supermoon flight to a internet zero.
For those that received’t be on the supermoon flight, the lunar occasion will be visible largely from Australia, East Asia, islands within the Pacific and the Western Americas.
The moon can be closest to Earth at 11:50 a.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time, however on the West Coast of the United States, the views will begin at 1:47 a.m. Pacific time on Wednesday.
