Southwest Offers 8 Flights to See the Total Solar Eclipse

Front-row tickets at a concert or sports game are exhilarating. These events occur frequently, unlike total solar eclipses. That's not something you see every day or

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anticipate up close. Good news for science and stargazers: Southwest Airlines has selected eight flights at 30,000 feet to see the next complete solar eclipse in a few months.

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After this week's "ring of fire" annular solar eclipse, the next total solar eclipse is April 8, 2024. Southwest runs across Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri

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In an Oct. 14 press release, Southwest said its network and schedule planners "modeled the operation day against projections of the umbra and penumbra

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shadows cast by the moon's eclipse of the sun" to determine which flights passengers can see the eclipse.

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The press release adds that three Southwest planes had "the greatest likelihood of offering Customers onboard the best view of this moment," according to their algorithm.

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First is Southwest Flight #1252, which leaves Dallas Love Field Airport (Love Field) at 12:45 p.m. CDT for Pittsburgh.

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Southwest Flight #1721, which departs Austin, Texas, at 12:50 p.m. CDT and lands in Indianapolis, is the second best route. The third alternative is Southwest Flight #1910

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Southwest says five other alternatives "may also cross the path of totality during their scheduled operating time," if none of the top three work for your spring travel plans.

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