Everyone’s talking about the solar eclipse and for Stargazing Live, Liz Bonnin took a flight over the Faroe Islands to film it as it happens. You can hear more about Liz's report from the plane in Friday’s 9pm programme.
The little plane we used to capture live images of the Aurora Borealis on last year’s Stargazing Live is on duty again, this time kitted out with seven cameras. Flying above any risk of cloud cover to witness the total solar eclipse on Friday will give us an unobscured view of one of nature’s most spectacular events.
We aim to fly at roughly 25,000 feet at a speed of about 540km/hr, right as the moon’s most intense shadow speeds across the planet, before it disappears behind the North Pole. Obviously we can’t keep up with it but we will be in its shadow for several more seconds than observers on the ground in the Faroes.
'I never really thought it would be quite this moving'
We are doing everything we can to leave no room for error, the team have been working for months now planning, constructing, checking and rechecking all the equipment that enables us to capture the eclipse in all its glory and transmit live to Jodrell Bank. Turbulence may affect the quality of our eclipse images, and of course bad weather may prevent us from taking off at all – but I’d rather not think about that!
I am looking forward to seeing the Baily’s beads effect, which is when the moon almost completely covers the sun, but because of its rugged landscape some shards of light will still shine through in the last few seconds before totality. As the moon completely covers up the sun, one last remaining bead of light will shine like a diamond set in a bright ring surrounding the lunar shadow – what’s known as the diamond ring.
We will also get to see the sun’s corona – its outer atmosphere, usually overpowered by the brightness of the sun’s orb – radiating out in streams around the dark circle of the moon.
These are all things I’ve seen images of and read about and am so excited to see for myself, but as much as the science of this rare alignment of our planet, the moon and the sun fascinates me, the thing I am looking forward to most is the sheer wonder of the moment, a reminder of the splendour of the natural world.
A total solar eclipse is a magnificent display of celestial mechanics – testimony to the predictability of our solar system and our place in it. This is one for my bucket list.
Stargazing Live continues on Thursday, 19 March at 8pm on BBC Two. The Eclipse Live episode is on BBC One at 9am on Friday, 20 March. For more programme times please see the episode guide.
Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.
How can I watch the solar eclipse safely? - see the iWonder guide
Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.
