Pilot Captures Stunning Photos of the Northern Lights From 36,000 Feet During a Solar Storm

In various parts of the world, the Northern Lights put on a show that feels unreal. Brilliant patterns of green, pink, and violet lights in the sky are mesmerizing to watch. It turns the night sky into a masterpiece that attracts millions of tourists, giving them an experience that they will never forget. Recently, an airline pilot and photographer, Matt Melnyk, captured an astonishing display of the northern lights from an altitude of 36,000 feet. While we often come across many photos and videos of the Aurora Borealis, this one offers a unique perspective that very few people might ever get to witness.

Melnyk witnessed the spectacular sight while flying high above the clouds on a route from London to Calgary. He captured the mind-blowing images of the aurora on November 12 from the cockpit of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. He shared the photos on his X (formerly Twitter) account that goes by the username @melnyk_photos. Speaking of the unreal moment, the pilot said, "It was a pretty special night, that's for sure," as reported by Space. He went on to show his excitement by adding, "This time of the year, I get to see the aurora 90% of the time on my flights across Europe. But this particular flight was special because a severe solar storm was in progress."

Melnyk captured the aurora at the exact moment when there was a solar storm, making the northern lights flare even brighter. On November 11 and 12, experts spotted an intense G4 geomagnetic storm across the northern half of the globe, lighting up the night skies in Canada, the U.S., and even some parts of Mexico. This was reportedly triggered by several coronal mass ejections hurled into space by sunspot AR4274. The airline pilot also said, "It's rare to be flying at the exact time a major solar storm is happening, so I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to witness this event."

Capturing a photo or a video of something as special as the Northern Lights is extremely challenging, especially when doing it from an airplane cockpit. This is because many photographers might struggle with dim ambient light, constant motion, and clouds sweeping past the frame, but Melnyk was all prepared. He clicked the photos with a Canon R6 Mark II camera and a Canon RF 20 mm F1.4 L VCM lens, taking full advantage of the low-light camera capabilities, as reported by Daily Galaxy.

The pilot said, “These photos were not that tricky to obtain thanks to new camera technology that allows me to get these photos handheld. The combination of a fast lens and a high-performing low-light camera makes it very simple.” Meanwhile, earlier this week, Melnyk witnessed yet another northern light spectacle during his November 17 flight from Calgary to London. He clicked some amazing photographs as the aircraft crossed over northeastern Alberta and later the region north of Hudson Bay and shared them on his social media account.

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