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Pilot captures once in a lifetime photo of the Northern Lights

<p>A pilot has captured the breathtaking moment he flew beside the Northern Lights while manning a cargo plane. </p> <p>Christiaan van Heijst, a pilot and photographer, shared the incredible image to Instagram, which shows the "turquoise aerial fire" appear in the form of the aurora borealis. </p> <p>Beneath the sea of twirling green lights, the city lights of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, illuminated the horizon in a contrasting orange glow far away.</p> <p>The extraordinary photo has racked up thousands of likes in just a few days, as Captain van Heijst shared the entertaining story of his flight and the moment he captured the picture in the caption. </p> <p>“Artificial lights on the horizon: a beacon of civilisation and connectedness to the world after many hours of isolation: no communication in my headset except for the bare minimums in regard to procedures, nor any personal interaction from my Icelandic captain, who’s been mute ever since the landing gear went up on the other side of the planet,” he explained in the post.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C41LrzMsgN6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C41LrzMsgN6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Christiaan van Heijst (@jpcvanheijst)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“A character known for his absolute approach to colleagues and deliberate lack of conversational depth during flight."</p> <p>“Hours later, the lights of Reykjavik are abundantly visible and without need, heed or warning, he opens up the intercom and takes his time to start his declaration for a single-person audience: me. Staring out of his window, eyes set on the distant orange glow from his left-hand window, he solemnly proclaims a few seconds later: ‘… the centre of the universe …’, allowing some moments of quiet contemplation and thought on my side, before switching his intercom off again, as if to underline this statement and retreating back in his cone of silence."</p> <p>Mr van Heijst said after the pair touched down four hours later in a cargo-airport in central-Europe, neither shared a single word “besides his solemn proclamation of Iceland’s true worth”.</p> <p>The incredible post has unsurprisingly been met with comments from stunned followers in awe of the natural beauty. </p> <p>“Wow! Incredible shot! Silence is golden indeed,” one person wrote.</p> <p>Mr van Heijst is one of the world’s leading aviation photographers, and has been lucky enough to witness the Northern Lights several times from above, capturing the moment each time to share online.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

International Travel

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This new ship will cure seasickness

<p>If you love cruises but constantly miss out because of frequent seasickness, we’ve got some exciting news for you. Aurora Expeditions, a cruise company operating in the Arctic and Antarctic, has developed a cutting-edge new ship that may put an end to queasy stomachs once and for all.</p> <p>Due for launch in late 2019, the 104m ship is fitted with innovative technology designed to cut through rough crossings with ease.</p> <p>“The vessel is the first to use the patented X-BOW technology which has the ability to pierce waves with much greater stability, making open sea journeys – like Antarctica’s notorious Drake Passage – more pleasant for passengers than what is currently available from other small ships on the market today,” Aurora Expeditions managing director Robert Halfpenny said.</p> <p>The pointed nose of the X-BOW vessel, unlike traditional ships which rise on waves then drop abruptly onto the ocean’s surface, is less prone to jerky vertical movements caused by rough seas.</p> <p><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/36781/image__498x245.jpg" alt="Image_ (297)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>It’s also fuel- and energy-efficient and features custom platforms for adventure-seekers wishing to kayak or dive in the icy seas. There will also be a 180-degree indoor viewing deck, plus all the things you’d expect from a luxury liner like a gym, sauna and spa.</p> <p>If this sounds right up your alley, keep an eye out for itineraries to be released later this year.</p>

Cruising

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Southern Lights delight New Zealand for second night in a row

<p>The Southern Lights were spotted from Auckland, Canterbury and the Otago Peninsula on Saturday. They then made an appearance in Wellington on Sunday, and were again spied in the sky over Canterbury.</p> <p>Natalie Crowther, who photographed the Aurora on Sunday, said she had never seen so many cars on the Port Hills, near Christchurch.</p> <p>"Fog covered Lake Ellesmere so we decided to go up the hill. There were about 200 cars that went through within three hours," she said.</p> <p>In Wellington, Jonathan Usher was also armed with a camera to capture the light display, and managed to snap the Aurora both nights of the weekend.</p> <p>"The scene was quite an amazing one," he said.</p> <p>It was Dave Watson's first time taking his 9-year-old daughter star-gazing on Saturday, and the pair weren't disappointed.</p> <p>They saw the glow from Rakaia Huts, southwest of Christchurch.</p> <p>Watson said the pair stood and watched in wonder at the Aurora's "big pointy streaks".</p> <p>Photographer <a href="https://www.facebook.com/shadowandshadenz">Larryn Rae</a> spotted the lights in Auckland.</p> <p>He'd <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/90954085/Rare-showing-of-the-Aurora-Australis-in-Auckland&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiPq7mGk7nTAhVE0mMKHfeJAkYQFggLMAI&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;usg=AFQjCNGuW3d6wS1-ycssBMotBQx1UrvKag">previously photographed the Aurora</a>, but said Saturday night's made "the last one look like play school".</p> <p>What made the Aurora particularly unusual was its light beams, which Rae didn't believe were normally spotted from Auckland.</p> <p>Otago Museum director Dr Ian Griffin captured photos of the Aurora from Cape Saunders on the Otago Peninsula, on Saturday.</p> <p>He said the rainbow colours were a "truly gorgeous display".</p> <p>It was caused by a geomagnetic storm - the result of a large hole in the sun's surface.</p> <p>The lights should continue to be visible on Monday night.</p> <p>Griffin, the former head of public outreach at Nasa's Space Telescope Science Institute, shared some tips for spotting them.</p> <p>"Get away from city lights, find a place with a good view to the south and keep your fingers crossed," he said.</p> <p>The Aurora could be seen "surprisingly frequently" in New Zealand, especially from southern parts of the South Island.</p> <p>"I've lived here in Dunedin now for about four years and I've seen it on over 100 [occasions], I think it's about the 159th now.</p> <p>"So, on average, it's once every couple of weeks," Griffin said.</p> <p>Statistics for Christchurch were not as favourable because the city was further north.</p> <p>"But having said that you can see it quite a lot from Christchurch . . . You need to have a combination of clear skies and the Aurora going off at the same time.</p> <p>"[Saturday] night's display was a pretty special one, it was seen as far north as Auckland," he said.</p> <p>Seeing an Aurora from Auckland was "quite rare".</p> <p>"If you go back through history, it's once every five years or so.</p> <p>"Having said that, sometimes you might get two or three in a year and then one not for for 15 or 20 years.</p> <p>So seeing the Aurora in Auckland is pretty special and that points to the power of [Saturday] night's display," Griffin said.</p> <p>What made this aurora 'special'?</p> <p>Griffin said Saturday night's display was particularly impressive because of a phenomenon known as coronal mass ejection.</p> <p>"The sun basically blasts off some material and it struck the earth, or it impacted the earth's magnetic field, and that's what gave life to last night's beautiful Aurora and, certainly, it was pretty stunning last night.</p> <p>"Some of the popular spots down here were really full of people," Griffin said.</p> <p>"It just turns out last night that there was a load of material coming off the sun and the circumstances were just about perfect for a really good display."</p> <p>In the Northern Hemisphere, displays of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) were expected to be visible as far south as New York, Washington and Wisconsin over the same period.</p> <p><em>First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></a>. </em><em>Video credit: Facebook/<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photographyjpg/videos"> Jpg Photography</a></em></p>

Domestic Travel

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Stunning photographs of Aurora Australis

<p>Lachlan Manley is a carer for his wife who has MS, and has a two-year-old, so when his family sleep he uses the alone time to indulge his passion for photography. His stunning photos of Aurora Australis captured one night off the coast of Victoria will amaze you.</p> <p>While most Australians were asleep, Manley woke spent the night in awe, pointing his lens up at the night sky illuminated with rainbow colours. The natural phenomenon is called Aurora Australis, which takes place when particles from the sun enter the earth’s magnetic field.</p> <p>Manley took the beautiful photographs sat from Queenscliff ferry terminal one night and Point Lonsdale lighthouse at 2pm the following night. He says the long wait was worth it.</p> <p>"I just love night photography," he said. "I'm a carer for my wife, and I've got a two-year-old, so they go to bed and I get some free time to get out. It's just relaxation, and it looks magical,” he told Traveller. </p> <p>Take a look at his breathtaking photographs in the gallery above. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/retirement-life/2015/12/questions-to-ask-before-retiring/">The questions everyone needs to ask themself before retiring</a></em></strong></p> <p><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/retirement-life/2015/11/retirement-good-for-health-study/">Retirement boosts happiness and health</a></em></strong></p> <p><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/retirement-life/2015/03/we-moved-to-a-farm/">We left suburbia to move to a farm… the best decision we ever made</a></em></strong></p>

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