My great flight on ANA was made even better by my first-ever sighting of the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) while flying over Norway.
Whimsical: I Saw The Northern Lights On My ANA Flight
While eating dinner a flight attendant came over and told me to take a peak outside my window. I did and was delighted to see glistening shafts of colored light visible in the night sky. It looked as if the lights were dancing through the sky in hues of green and yellow, like I was being wrapped in the arms of a loved one.
Seeing the Northern Lights has been near the top of my travel bucket list for many years. I’ve always had an excuse to avoid it – bad weather or a limited flight schedule to Fairbanks, Alaska.
How fitting that the first time in my life I see aurora borealis is on an airplane at 38,000 feet.
Sadly, no pictures (stock photo above) – all the lights were on in the cabin, creating too great of a glare to take a picture out of the reflective window. But this was the point in the flight when they appeared:
I kept my eyes glued to the window for the next half hour and enjoyed perhaps the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen from an airplane. As we continued east, the lights disappeared and I retuned to the reality of my flight.
CONCLUSION
I’m hoping (even this winter) to see the Northern Lights from the ground. It’s one of those phenomenon that is just so cool. But I’m happy now to have seen it in-person…and to have seen it from an airplane.
Have you ever seen the Northern Lights from an airplane?
image: @Cardiff_Airport / Twitter
Pics or it did NOT happen… ha, ha. Congrats.
Yep.
Now THAT’S cool.
If you want the best view of the Northern Lights in Alaska, your best best is Coldfoot, about 250 miles north of Fairbanks. You’re so far away from civilization there that there’s no light pollution to interfere. You can either rent a “gravel highway vehicle” from Alaska Auto Rental to go up the Dalton Highway, take a charter flight to Coldfoot, or buy a tour package from a company. If you DIY, stay at Boreal Lodging in the ghost town of Wiseman. I’ve been trying to convince my wife and mom to come with me, but they hate the cold, so I’m going to have to wait until Ashok is old enough and make it a father-son trip…
Saw it once SFO-FRA from the nose of a UA 747-400. Magical.
“ like I was being wrapped in the arms of a loved one.”
Really? A bit cheesy don’t you think?
It’s amazing, I have seen them in far Northern Canada on a kayaking trip years ago. As well, and coincidentally, on JAL, but from NRT to ORD. Same thing, the FA was so excited to show me and insisted I open my shades. It’s even more impressive from the air.
You are so lucky and I am very happy for you!
Never saw them anywhere, but I did have a HIA-LAX QR flight where the Milky Way could be seen crazy-clear, like in those NASA photos. I bumped my nose on the window and remained there for many minutes.
I’m flying to LAX Friday again and hoping the season will allow me some Northern Lights like for you.
Come visit us in Canada for the Northern Lights! You can review Air North or Condor’s flight service Whitehorse to Frankfurt! No cheeseburgers served on flights in the Yukon.
Saw it once on the way to Regina Saskatchewan, still haven’t seen on the ground
Hi Matthew, how does it feel to take “solo” long haul trips to Asia again?
Pre-covid, I user to take multiple trips from Europe to Japan, Malaysia, Taipei, Hong-Kong, making sure to allow ample time for connection and to enjoy Oneworld first class lounges. Sometimes, I would just decide 4 hours before my flight where I’d be heading next.
On a ship outside Trondheim Norway right now. Saw the northern lights a couple of days ago farther north. Magical!
I saw them last Friday near the Hudson Bay on Icelandair’s DEN-KEF flight. Got a really cool picture with the glow of the lights and timed with a red airplane beacon on the winglet of the MAX-9. So cool!