Total solar eclipses are incredible events. People travel from all over the world in order to be in the ‘path of totality’ so that they can witness when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun, causing it to become as dark as night.

For most people, this is just a unique event that they want to see, but for many scientists, it is an opportunity to study the corona of the sun. The corona is the atmosphere of the sun, and it is far hotter than the surface. During an eclipse, researchers can get a better look at this area, which is very valuable.

Unfortunately, total eclipses generally only last a handful of minutes. The next one that will be visible from land will go across Europe, North Africa, and some of the Middle East. Those lucky enough to be in that path of totality will experience an eclipse that lasts an impressive 6 minutes and 23 seconds. This is the longest eclipse since 1991, and will be the longest until 2114 according to Space, unless you want to get on a ship and go out into the ocean.

In 1973, however, scientists figured out a way to extend the length of time that an eclipse would last, but it isn’t something you will likely be able to do.

A small team of researchers and crew got onboard the supersonic aircraft Concord and had it follow along as the moon moved across the sky. The jet took off from Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, and eventually landed in Chad.

Some might consider this cheating, but whatever the case, these researchers were able to gather massive amounts of data that could be used to learn more about the sun. Donald Liebenberg was on the Concord that day. In 2017, he wrote the following to NBC:

“At 74 minutes, our group aboard the Concorde set a record for the amount of time spent in totality that has never been broken. To say the least, it was an experience I will never forget.”

This event took a lot more coordination than just telling the pilot to take off and fly in the general path of the moon. Instead, it was precisely planned out to give the scientists as much time as possible during key events of the eclipse. This included the ‘first contact’ and the ‘third contact,’ which are when the Moon first crosses the face of the sun, and when the eclipse comes to an end. In a paper on the flight, it is written:

“The astronomical requirement of stable flight throughout both a maximum period of totality and the second and third contacts (natural contacts) imposed a rigid schedule on the Concorde. Had the aircraft been 2 min early on arrival in the eclipse path, the period of totality would have been reduced by 25 min and one natural contact would have been lost.”

Check out this video of the people while they were on this historic flight:

While nobody has recreated this experiment to such an extent, it is likely that it will happen at some point in the future. Commercial supersonic airlines are no longer in operation today, but that may change. It is also entirely possible that someone may charter some type of supersonic aircraft in order to recreate the incredible flight.

If spending millions (or more) on a flight like this isn’t in your budget, you will have to settle for traveling to somewhere along the path of totality and enjoying the 4-6 minutes that you get.

If you think that’s impressive, check out this story about a “goldmine” of lithium that was found in the U.S. that could completely change the EV battery game.