Airline pilot and photographer Matt Melnyk captured a spectacular northern lights display from the cockpit of his Boeing 787 Dreamliner while cruising at 36,000 feet (11 km) on a London–Calgary flight on Nov. 12.
"It was a pretty special night, that's for sure!" Melnyk said.
Melnyk, who frequently flies beneath auroral skies, says he sees the northern lights on roughly 90% of his cross‑Europe flights this time of year. What made this flight unusual was a severe geomagnetic storm — rated G4 — that erupted on Nov. 11–12. The storm followed multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) launched by sunspot AR4274, one of the most energetic groups of the current solar cycle. Those eruptions sent streams of charged particles and magnetic field toward Earth, lighting up skies across the northern hemisphere from Canada and the United States to as far south as Mexico.
"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," Melnyk said.
To capture the scene he used a Canon R6 Mark II paired with a Canon RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM lens. Melnyk credited modern camera technology — a very fast wide‑angle lens and a high‑performing low‑light camera body — for allowing handheld cockpit shots that still look crisp and vibrant.
He photographed another striking display a few days later, on Nov. 17, while flying from Calgary to London over northeastern Alberta and north of Hudson Bay.
For photographers inspired to try aurora or night‑sky photography: use a fast wide‑angle lens, stabilize your camera against the window frame, start with a wide aperture and moderate shutter speed, and increase ISO as needed to balance exposure and noise. Handheld aurora shots are increasingly feasible with modern gear, but when possible, a small beanbag or window brace will improve sharpness.
Photo credit: Matt Melnyk
