On the morning of Friday 20th March, you could be enjoying a unique opportunity to see one of the solar system’s greatest spectacles from an incredible vantage point. While the UK won’t quite get to see a total eclipse (an event we last enjoyed back in 1999), the partial (around 85%) eclipse will last for much of the morning and seeing it from a hot air balloon will make this trip a truly remarkable and unforgettable experience.
As the moon passes in front of the sun, the temperature drops, the light takes on an eerie quality, and nature goes quiet (confused by the sudden darkness). Safely watching the sun, through suitable vision aids, you will see coronal activity around the edges, as well as sunspots and other features. You will also be able to take some beautiful photos as the shadow sweeps over the ground. From the unique vantage point of our stable hot air balloon, your photos are sure to look so much better than those your friends will have taken on their ground-based smartphones. All of these exhilarating benefits will make the trip extremely worthwhile, and hopefully turn you and your friends into ballooning fans.
Book a trip on our Aerosaurus Balloon flights (http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2015-march-20) and you can enjoy the breathtaking view, in peace and quiet, in the skies of southern England (weather permitting, naturally). A ticket will make a great present, or a once in a lifetime treat for yourself, with some lasting memories that will trump most other balloon trips you could take. Act quickly, as these tickets will sell out fast.
Aerosaurus flights run from spring to autumn across the southern counties, with our eclipse flight on the 20th starting around 6:30am from the Larmer Tree Gardens near Shaftesbury in Dorset*. The eclipse will start at around 8:25am, reach its greatest point of darkness at around 9:30am, and end at 10:40am. That should give you plenty of time for some stunning photos (again, please bring appropriate lenses and protective eye wear).
*As with all balloon flights, this flight is weather dependant. If your flight does not proceed it will be rescheduled and you will be notified of alternative dates and times.
As an additional bonus, you will also get a great view of the North Dorset scenery with the wild woodland and their roaming deer, acres of spring blooms, plus the deep valleys and soaring hills that make the area so spectacular to see from the air. For more information, please check out our flight availability to find out about the great flights you can take around the south west.
