WELLINGTON: They took an eight-hour flight just to look out the airplane’s window, but it was an extraordinary view.

A charter plane that left Dunedin, New Zealand, late on Thursday flew close to the Antarctic Circle to give the eager passengers an up-close look at the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights.

Otago Museum Director Ian Griffin came up with the idea. An astronomer, Griffin said he was inspired after seeing the Southern Lights while flying as a guest on a Nasa observatory plane.

He says the 134 seats on the chartered Boeing 767 sold out within five days and one man travelled from Spain for the trip. He says he could have filled the plane several times over, although they were only selling window seats and seats immediately adjacent, leaving the middle of the aircraft empty.

“I thought it was absolutely brilliant,” Griffin said. “We were right under it. There were beautiful streamers, auroral streamers. This green-coloured stuff that moves quickly, it looks like you’re looking into a green, streaky river.” Passenger Nick Wong said he’d stumbled upon the idea of the flight last year through social media and decided to sign up.

“I didn’t think we would actually see such a spectacular display, even by the naked eye,” he said. “It was really great to be a part of an adventure with like-minded people who were equally or more excited at viewing this phenomena as I was.”

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2017