Pilot’s stunning photo from plane window captures incredible sight
A pilot has captured a rare moment from a Boeing 747 window while flying over the North Atlantic.
Christiaan van Heijst, a captain, cargo pilot and photographer said he was few hundred kilometres south of Iceland when he came across a “turquoise aerial fire” in the form of aurora borealis.
He said the city lights of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, illuminated the horizon in a contrasting orange glow far away.
Since sharing the image three days ago, it’s been liked more than 2300 times with the aviation photographer sharing an entertaining story behind snapping the astronomical phenomenon.
“Artificial lights on the horizon: a beacon of civilisation and connectedness to the world after many hours of isolation: no communication in my headset except for the bare minimums in regard to procedures, nor any personal interaction from my Icelandic captain, who’s been mute ever since the landing gear went up on the other side of the planet,” he explained in the post.
“A character known for his absolute approach to colleagues and deliberate lack of conversational depth during flight.
“Hours later, the lights of Reykjavik are abundantly visible and without need, heed or warning, he opens up the intercom and takes his time to start his declaration for a single-person audience: me. Staring out of his window, eyes set on the distant orange glow from his left-hand window, he solemnly proclaims a few seconds later: ‘… the centre of the universe …’, allowing some moments of quiet contemplation and thought on my side, before switching his intercom off again, as if to underline this statement and retreating back in his cone of silence.
“Stoic minimalism at its best and I can’t help but silently chuckle at this unexpected and utterly dry sense of humour.”
Van Heijst said after the pair touched down four hours later in a cargo-airport in central-Europe, neither shared a single word “besides his solemn proclamation of Iceland’s true worth”.
“’You’re a fun guy, looking forward to flying with you next time,’ he confided to me, before leaving me with a solid handshake and sincere smile before disappearing into the night to find his car.’”
The post has unsurprisingly been met with comments from stunned followers in awe of the natural beauty.
“Wow! Incredible shot! Silence is golden indeed,” one person wrote.
“Working a Polar flight tomorrow night. My camera is ready and I hope I see some,” wrote another.
A third said: “Love love your photos and entertaining, well written accounts that accompany them too.”
Van Heijst is one of the world’s leading aviation photographers, and given his line of work, he’s been lucky enough to witness the Northern Lights several times from above.
In a post from mid last year, he snapped an “unexpected display of aurora over Canada in the middle of June”.
The images were taken from the cockpit, showing the stunning, natural spectacle with variations of green and blues.
“Who would have imagined such a sight? While traversing the solitary skies over northern Quebec, we were treated to one of the most captivating phenomena in the world — a vibrant storm of northern lights,” he wrote alongside the photos.
Van Heijst said they promptly dimmed the cockpit lights, silenced their chatter, and collectively embraced a state of awe and wonder as the thermospheric storm intensified above them.
“Something so pure and ethereal makes one appreciate the moment like nothing else. Worries from a faraway homeland faded into the background, and the fatigue of long-haul flying was momentarily forgotten as two pairs of eyes remained glued to the windows of our cozy, pressurised cabin.”
If you’re wondering what causes the Northern Lights, it’s solar winds, which blow electronic particles into molecules of atmospheric gases, causing an emission of bright light.
It’s basically created when energised particles from the sun slam into earth’s upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 72 million km/h.
2024 promises to have more frequent sightings, according to Expedia, with around 57 per cent of Aussies wanting to see it at least once in their life.
“With the next couple of years set to deliver the most aurora borealis activity in two decades, Expedia is already seeing a 40 per cent increase in demand for Tromsø (Norway) as many Aussies plan to make their bucket list experience a reality,” Sarah King, Travel Expert at Expedia told news.com.au.