The best part of being on a plane is the in-flight entertainment that awaits. Hollywood blockbusters with Chris Hemsworth, documentaries on hoarders, reality television shows. There is so much to see that it can take a strict schedule with no interruptions to achieve your movie watching agenda.
That is until Mother Nature comes out to play.
On New Year's Eve, Aryeh Nirenber travelled from New York to Reykjavik, Iceland on a Delta Air Lines flight. The six-hour trip started well, with Nirenber securing a row to himself, including a window seat. Perhaps a small sign that this trip was going to be one to remember.
Ten thousand metres up, the flight passed the Northern Lights. Nirenbar, an avid photographer, was quick to set up his tripod and start filming a time lapse video as he travelled alongside the natural phenomenon.
The displays of the aurora borealis are caused by electrons colliding with the Earth's upper atmosphere, carried by the solar wind. The Earth's magnetic fields pull these to the north and south poles, creating an oval of aurora activity around the these regions.
The result, as you can see below, is incredible. In the past 10 days, the video has been viewed more than 300,000 times on Youtube.
Do yourself a favour. Always book the window seat and remember that the in-flight entertainment could simply be a head turn away.
See also: Northern Lights: Seeking the world's No.1 bucket list item
See also: You can now see the Northern Lights from inside a Finnish bubble sled
See also: Beyond the Northern Lights: Five other celestial wonders to see in your lifetime
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