While piloting a flight from London to Calgary, Matt Melnyk witnessed a remarkable display of nature: an intense geomagnetic storm illuminating the skies with vivid northern lights.
Triggered by solar events, Melnyk documented the spectacle through a series of striking photographs, later highlighted by Space.com on November 18, 2025. With extensive experience tracking auroras, Melnyk’s viewpoint from the cockpit at cruising altitude offered a rare and breathtaking perspective of the phenomenon.
A Unique Moment at High Altitude
On November 12, a powerful G4 geomagnetic storm swept across the Northern Hemisphere, creating dazzling auroras visible from Canada to Mexico. While many observers on the ground enjoyed the display, Melnyk was in an exceptional position aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner cruising at 36,000 feet. As a pilot with frequent routes over Northern Europe, he is well acquainted with the aurora phenomenon.
He notes that during this season, he typically sees the northern lights on roughly 90% of his flights. However, this occasion was extraordinary due to the intense solar storm sparked by coronal mass ejections from sunspot AR4274.
The Solar Storm’s Radiant Effect
Melnyk was fortunate to capture the aurora as it was intensified by heightened solar activity, a rare circumstance that not many people experience firsthand.
“It’s rare to be flying at the exact time a major solar storm is happening, so I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to witness this event,” he said in an interview with Space.com.
The geomagnetic storm created an expansive aurora that stretched across much of the Northern Hemisphere, illuminating the skies from Canada to the United States and down to Mexico.
The Gear Behind the Images
Documenting such mesmerizing northern lights from a cockpit amid limited lighting and in motion presents a challenge. Melnyk was prepared with a Canon R6 Mark II camera paired with a Canon RF 20 mm F1.4 L VCM lens. Cutting-edge camera technology, especially in low-light settings, enabled him to capture these scenes handheld.
“These photos were not that tricky to obtain thanks to new camera technology that allows me to get these photos handheld. The combination of a fast lens and a high-performing low-light camera makes it very simple.”
Since this remarkable flight, Melnyk has continued to photograph awe-inspiring auroras, including another dazzling display on November 17 while flying from Calgary to London.
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