For most people, getting to see the Northern Lights in person is a “Bucket List” event. I never thought I’d actually get to see them while flying at 45,000 feet. I wish you could come fly with me and see them.

On Thursday, March 23, 2023, the Northern Hemisphere experienced what NOAA called a Severe Geomagnetic Storm. Today, I am flying a couple of passengers from Washington State to Indiana at 45,000 feet. I race towards the night, flying east, as daylight turns to dusk.

As we start crossing South Dakota eastbound, the curtain of darkness descends across the plains of America. We aren’t supposed to have bad weather in the region, but a “cloud of light” off to the north starts to develop and garners my attention.

“Is that the Northern Lights?” I ask. “No, that’s a cloud layer”, my right seat pilot incredulously responds as the “clouds” start to shimmer and dance. No, those are definately Northern Lights.

Every time I fly, I’m mesmerized by the views from 9 miles above the earth. Tonight, I’m literally star struck as I watch the heavens colorful dance recital move across South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. Watching the show unfold is now a core memory.

I wish it could last longer, but a multi-state storm starts to unfold as we turn south into Indiana. The dance recital comes to an end as we descend into the turbulent air of the impending storm. I give one last glimpse to the north as the clouds take over.

It takes about an hour for the light show to unfold before I lose sight of it. I am very thankful my iPhone was able to capture what my eyes could see. I wish you could come fly with me and enjoy the views. Until then, I will take lots of pictures for you to see the Northern Lights.