Delta Air Lines is offering a way to view the upcoming total solar eclipse closer up.
The airline announced Monday that it'll be operating a special flight from Austin to Detroit on April 8, the day of the Great American Eclipse, for passengers who want to view it from the sky.
Flight 1218 will use an Airbus A220-300 plane, which "will offer especially premium viewing due to the aircraft's extra-large windows," Delta said in a press release. It'll depart from Austin at 12:15 p.m. CT and arrive in Detroit at 4:20 p.m. ET so passengers will have "the best chance of safely viewing the solar eclipse at its peak."
If you won't be taking Delta's special flight, the airline says there will still be "prime eclipse-viewing opportunities" on these other flights on April 8:
DL 5699, DTW-HPN, 2:59 pm EST departure, ERJ-175
DL 924, LAX-DFW, 8:40 am PST departure, A320
DL 2869, LAX-SAT, 9:00 am PST departure, A319
DL 1001, SLC-SAT, 10:08 am MST departure, A220-300
DL 1683, SLC-AUS, 9:55 am MST departure, A320
In a total solar eclipse, the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth to completely block the face of the Sun. If you're viewing it from within what's known as the "path of totality," you'll see the Moon's shadow fully cover the Sun for a brief moment, darkening the sky.
Depending on the weather, you may also be able to see the Sun's corona, which is the outermost part of its atmosphere that is usually not visible because of the Sun's brightness.
The April solar eclipse will start over the South Pacific Ocean and move to pass over Mexico, the US, and Canada. After this, the next solar eclipse visible from the contiguous US won't happen again until 2044, NASA says.
Wherever you're planning on viewing the eclipse, whether on a Delta flight or anywhere else, be sure to wear protective viewing glasses. NASA warns it's not safe to view a solar eclipse without specialized eye protection, or you'll risk "severe eye injury."
