2026 Totality from the Air

Captured during the total solar eclipse of August 12, 2026, aboard Iberia flight IB1473, a specially chartered Airbus A321XLR designed to intercept the Moon’s umbral shadow.

The flight followed a precisely calculated trajectory based on Besselian elements, NASA and JPL ephemerides, and lunar limb profiles. Totality was intercepted with an error of only approximately three seconds, providing about 2 minutes and 8 seconds of totality under exceptionally clear conditions.

This 360° image captures the eclipsed Sun, Venus, the cockpit and crew, the aircraft’s nose, and the Moon’s umbral shadow across the atmosphere—all within a single frame. It documents not only a rare astronomical event, but also a carefully coordinated scientific and aeronautical operation.