Viral pic: Dutch pilot captures 'turquoise aerial fire' of Aurora Borealis from cockpit

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"A few hundred miles south of Iceland, somewhere over the North Atlantic Ocean. A turquoise aerial fire in the form of aurora borealis while the city lights of Reykjavik illuminate the horizon in a contrasting, orange glow, far away," reads the caption to the picture shared on Instagram.

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In the next few lines, Heijst reflects on the juxtaposition of natural and artificial lights, symbolising isolation and connectivity: "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. A character known for his absolute approach to colleagues and deliberate lack of conversational depth during flight."

However, as the plane approaches Reykjavik and the city lights become visible, the captain breaks his silence with a profound statement, calling Reykjavik "the centre of the universe".

He continued, "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. Stoic minimalism at its best, and I can't help but silently chuckle at this unexpected and utterly dry sense of humour."

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"Indeed, speaking is silver, but silence is golden," he concluded.

Take a look at the picture shared on Instagram below:

The picture was shared five days ago on Instagram. Since then, it has accumulated over 2,700 likes. Many Instagram users even flocked to the comments section to share their thoughts.

Check out how people reacted to this picture here:

"Wow! Incredible shot! Silence is golden indeed," posted an individual.

Another added, "Amazing! Thank you for sharing!"

"Such an incredible capture! Reminds me of my Aurora flight," expressed a third.

A fourth commented, "Great shot and a great narrative."

"Just superb! I'd say a sight like this compensates for the real stresses of your work," wrote a fifth.

A sixth joined, "This is so epic."

"Absolutely mind-blowing. Wow," chimed in a fifth.

What are your thoughts on this picture of Aurora Borealis?