All you out there….Get ready for the most amazing journey of the lifetime. Well! This time; I am no more talking about much hyped eco tours or even rural tours to India. Hold your breath and Welcome to Astro -tourism in India.
Surprised well it’s a matter of surprise…But true! Coming 22 July 2009 is the day to view the longest and total solar eclipse of the 21st century. This is for the first time in history of India that a plane has been chartered to witness the total solar eclipse from above the clouds.
Tourism and Air charter companies are receiving amazing response. After all people do understand the worth of once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This historic flight being undertaken during the International year of astronomy- 2009 brings a new era of science popularisation and astro-tourism to India. A JetLite 737-700 has been especially chartered for this purpose.
The eclipse flight will last for three hours and it will take off from New Delhi at 4.30 am, fly towards and hold over Gaya till the eclipse time. At a precise time the totality run towards north-north-west will be initiated. The aircraft will be intercepting the middle of the eclipse shadow at 0626 IST at a height of 41,000 feet.
The aircraft window seats have been divided into two categories.
The `Sun Side’ seats are the 21 window seats on the right side of the air craft. The `Earth Side’ seats are the 21 window seats on the left side of the aircraft. The officials and astronomers from SPACE have done the technical planning of the flight. There will be customised games, activities and announcements which have been specially planned on board for the benefit of Eclipse chasers.
The cost per person for the entire flight
Sun Side Seats: Rs 79,000
Middle Seats: Rs 67,000
Aisle Seats: Rs 59,000
Earth Side Seats: Rs 29,000
Eclipse chasers sitting along the Sun Side seats of the aircraft will be able to photograph the eclipse; while the chasers sitting along the Earth Side seats will be able to photograph the Lunar Shadow moving over the Earth cloud top.
Details of the Solar Eclipse: The maximum duration of this eclipse is six minutes 38 seconds at a location in the Pacific Ocean.
The eclipse is starting at sunrise near Surat in Gujarat. The shadow of the moon is so large at this eclipse that even at sunrise the duration of totality is more than three minutes. The shadow very quickly moves across the breadth of India towards Arunachal Pradesh. The shadow spans a third of the entire path in India, 900 kms out of 2,500 kms across entire India.
For more details, call now on 1800 22 1235/1800 20 9040/ 098675 65599 or email us onsolareclipse@coxandkings.com or visit www.coxandkings.com.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Astro-tourism takes off with Solar Eclipse
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