Flying through the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)

Watching the Northern lights is on the bucket list of countless people. However, I got this opportunity as a byproduct of my regular flight. I witnessed this amazing Aurora Borealis, also called Northern Lights, aboard my flight from Chicago to Abu Dhabi, on Nov 20, 2021. The location was somewhere over Greenland.

This is my second time capturing the aurora from a regular flight. You may also be able to get a glimpse of this magnificent geomagnetic phenomenon if you are observant enough!

Tips:
1. Get on a flight that flies at night above the Arctic circle in the darker season between Oct/Nov to Feb/March. Most flights from US to India or the Middle East departing in the afternoon from the East coast qualify.
2. Get a north-facing window seat
3. Get a proper camera with a wide aperture if you want to shoot video.
4. Train your eyes by looking out in the darkness and you may be able to see wispy cloud-like formations that are dynamic, however, you may not be able to appreciate their color due to the not-so-optimal bright reflections from inside the cabin.
5. Throw a jacket over the camera to keep those stray reflections away. You can set your phone on recording and slide underneath the window cover if it fits (don't force it though!) For photography, you need long exposure, so it is essential to rest the camera on the window and hold it steady.

Captured on a Nikon D500 with a Rokinon 35mm video lens.
EXIF: ISO 10000, 35mm f/1.4, 1/30s