"Even today, after having seen it dozens of times from the flight deck, I am still in awe when a cosmic plasma storm is silently raging far above my head. A visual spectacle with ferocious intensity and magnitude that can make a human being feel so insignificant.

"Whenever I’m lucky to see the northern lights I wonder about the impressions and thoughts of the first human beings to witness them on their trek north. Fear? Awe? Curiosity? Or perhaps a mixture of all of them. Having no knowledge to explain their presence or nature, I can imagine the aurora must have been of divine origin to them; a manifestation of their old gods and the new. "Today we know that the aurora is caused by charged particles from the Sun that get caught in the Earth’s magnetic field. A rather boring and factual statement, though it doesn’t take away the fascinating nature of the lights. An enchanting display of one of the most beautiful manifestations of nature and that always leaves me excited when I see them in person." SEE Christiaan’s starry starry night 

You can follow Christiaan on Instagram here: @jpcvanheijst