Monday night will be one of the most photographed nights from the air. A strong one geomagnetic storm in progress causes intense displays of bright and colorful aurora borealis that appear especially bright when viewed mid-flight from the stratosphere.
To ensure that everyone on board the Easyjet flight from Iceland to Manchester, England, could see those dancing in the northern lights, the pilot moved slightly, flying the plane in a 360-degree loop.
Many passengers have posted amazing results on social media.
Passenger Adam Groves, in particular, enjoyed the maneuver.
“A wonderful way to add to a special trip where I proposed to my fiancé,” he wrote on Twitter.
EasyJet did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation and comment, but the air carrier retweet Groves’ photos.
Pilots on other flights reportedly made similar turns to give everyone a view of charged plasma from the sun colliding with Earth’s magnetic field.
Many thanks to the pilot and crew @easyJet flight EZY6942 from Iceland to Edinburgh tonight.👏🏻👏🏻
An amazing aurora flew over and we were all treated to a full 360° turn to see it – not your average flight and an excellent act of service! 🌌 pic.twitter.com/X0kIsq5k4Y
— Clodagh Cremen (@Clodagh_C) February 26, 2023
Shout out to the Edinburgh crew at @easyJetafter leaving Reykjavic last night the pilot radioed ATC to get clearance to make a loop back so all passengers could see The Northern Lights… pic.twitter.com/vw8ijMBjbt
— Sheeni (@sheenib) February 20, 2023
Other flight passengers in the region also caught the lights in full effect.
A The NASA astronaut on Tuesday also shared a “completely unreal” view of the show from the International Space Station.
The auroral display is the result of Earth-directed coronal mass ejections from the sun over the weekend. The clear exhibition is one of the best of the current solar cycle, building towards a peak of intensity in the middle of the decade. This means that many opportunities are definitely waiting to see the high flying lights, especially at high latitudes.