GettyOne hundred and fifty lucky souls got to see first hand how beautiful the southern lights can be this week when they took a chartered flight through the eerie cosmic lights.
Now incredible footage from Air New Zealand, which took off on March 23, has been released online so we can all see just how beautiful the lights are, Mashable reports.
The plane took off on March 23 to take advantage of the March Equinox which provided passengers with 12 hours of darkness to spot the green glowing lights.
I am sure this morning there were only some 200+ members, by the end of the day it has doubled! Anyway back from work, still haven't slept here is another video of #auroraAustralis #flightToTheLights
Posted by Nick Wong on Thursday, 23 March 2017
Of course a seat on the flight cost a pretty penny with two economy seats selling for $2,775 (£2,225) while two business-class seats went for $5,973 (£4,789).
The northern and southern lights are normally only visible at Earth’s polar regions because of the planet’s magnetic field.
When charged particles from the sun collide with the Earth the magnetic field drags the light down too the poles. While most of this light is stopped before it even reaches Earth’s atmosphere some makes it through.
GettyIt then interacts with the planet’s upper atmosphere and causes the particles to glow creating the aurora.
If the Earth lets out a particularly violent burst of solar radiation though auroras can become visible at lower latitudes.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.