# Photos taken from commercial airliners **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** photo\ **Created:** [September 8, 2024, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931 "2024-09-08T00:40:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/1 "2024-09-08T00:40:29Z")
I always try to get a window seat and take photos on flights. So why not a thread to post interesting shots? Just don’t drop your phone between the seats, the FAs hate that. My first, sunset and the moon setting on my way home from FL this week. [![](https://i.imgur.com/AK0qcDA.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/AK0qcDA.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/2 "2024-09-08T01:00:41Z")
The Apple Headquarters “Spaceship” Sunnyvale, CA [![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLO4nsnglTvNtBZKEXpAyu6fZpm6px3nxHxTzr5kdM_-Q218kPFdO_lGlqULnjNCACiKo9z3HSCk9Kwy13tabiN0uzOkuCGBboNwgao0MrPrj4eRNK-UyFZDK794NAtPmMqQUiastr2E77/s1600/Real+Circle+buiding.jpg) ](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLO4nsnglTvNtBZKEXpAyu6fZpm6px3nxHxTzr5kdM_-Q218kPFdO_lGlqULnjNCACiKo9z3HSCk9Kwy13tabiN0uzOkuCGBboNwgao0MrPrj4eRNK-UyFZDK794NAtPmMqQUiastr2E77/s1600/Real+Circle+buiding.jpg) La Jolla, CA (arrow pointing to where I used to live) [![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZj8HIRsFQrL1bXZyJ3Ez1tyJ_69g1od6FpAlKQ2-hRuHxyByGnTRgmz4gR4S1nO4gHtTRUl3mQtr3-SwBNSEbmzygMUNVq42TRdZt2dx6gwJkOGJ_M1CeM-5s16ChyphenhyphengCboJhfHYqCDR9X/s1600/TSG+10-3-14.jpg) ](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZj8HIRsFQrL1bXZyJ3Ez1tyJ_69g1od6FpAlKQ2-hRuHxyByGnTRgmz4gR4S1nO4gHtTRUl3mQtr3-SwBNSEbmzygMUNVq42TRdZt2dx6gwJkOGJ_M1CeM-5s16ChyphenhyphengCboJhfHYqCDR9X/s1600/TSG+10-3-14.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/3 "2024-09-08T01:09:26Z")
I’ll take Manhattan… [![](https://i.imgur.com/4LsjRnC.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/4LsjRnC.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/4 "2024-09-08T01:18:21Z")
Don’t have any to add this time, and probably won’t look for any though I have some. Just want to say, great pics folks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/5 "2024-09-08T01:22:22Z")
This was on a flight from Texas to California. Unfortunately I did not note the exact location, but I’m guessing that that bright spot of light in the distance is a solar power tower, perhaps the [Ivanpah Solar Power Facility](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivanpah_Solar_Power_Facility). It was VERY bright. [![](https://greenwoodsoftware.com/misc/bright.jpg) ](https://greenwoodsoftware.com/misc/bright.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/6 "2024-09-08T01:24:50Z")
[![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMiC58fFLMFyfaGjJkAC2HtlhSwLnjkgBM9Qh8b0RYy8G9eBpZ78Zoj3_vI9Aun-RN93Q_8aAs1BbdCINGIVifkQ-lFWR-JneUZ5VUVqQHKPQPZQyWm_kgayyhjRVw2hu-YD9naR3dMsKGCdYlUb8UpFY34Dk5iIe0atJ9Gq1_FPCEv0aFhcf3pGfrFc/s4032/Mt%20St%20H.jpg) ](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMiC58fFLMFyfaGjJkAC2HtlhSwLnjkgBM9Qh8b0RYy8G9eBpZ78Zoj3_vI9Aun-RN93Q_8aAs1BbdCINGIVifkQ-lFWR-JneUZ5VUVqQHKPQPZQyWm_kgayyhjRVw2hu-YD9naR3dMsKGCdYlUb8UpFY34Dk5iIe0atJ9Gq1_FPCEv0aFhcf3pGfrFc/s4032/Mt%20St%20H.jpg) Mount Saint Helens. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/7 "2024-09-08T01:32:59Z")
Incidentally, this is Ivanpah from Rt 15 [![](https://i.imgur.com/9IXTfad.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/9IXTfad.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/8 "2024-09-08T01:37:11Z")
Flying over fly-over country in the winter: [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/48LY8rR.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/48LY8rR) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/9 "2024-09-08T01:38:31Z")
My entry in the last contest: [![](https://i.imgur.com/liaOJ8G.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/liaOJ8G.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/10 "2024-09-08T01:57:58Z")
Some kind of refractive effect. I thought it might be a Brocken spectre, but I don’t see a shadow in the center so I’m not sure. [![](https://greenwoodsoftware.com/misc/brocken.jpg) ](https://greenwoodsoftware.com/misc/brocken.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/11 "2024-09-08T02:11:07Z")
It is a glory, a related phenomenon to the broken spectre. You can’t see a shadow because you are too far from the clouds so the shadow is diffuse. > **[Glory (optical phenomenon)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glory_(optical_phenomenon))** > > A glory is an optical phenomenon, resembling an iconic saint's halo around the shadow of the observer's head, caused by sunlight or (more rarely) moonlight interacting with the tiny water droplets that comprise mist or clouds. The glory consists of one or more concentric, successively dimmer rings, each of which is red on the outside and bluish towards the centre. Due to its appearance, the phenomenon is sometimes mistaken for a circular rainbow, but the latter has a much larger diameter and is... Here’s a glory with the shadow visible: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53978785141_e97b10e5e1_b.jpg "Glory") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/200199460@N02/53978785141/) My photo is of Mount Taranaki in New Zealand. [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53979080084_e1058c3220_b.jpg "Mt Taranaki") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/200199460@N02/53979080084/) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/12 "2024-09-08T02:16:18Z")
I normally take an aisle seat because I like to be able to get up to go pee whenever I need to, but sometimes on short flights I will take a window seat. Or in the case of this Embraer 145, I got one of those single seats. So here’s I view of Crater Lake from an ERJ-145. [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53978792066_39afe28739_z.jpg "crater\_lake") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/66423490@N08/53978792066/) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/13 "2024-09-08T02:19:56Z")
Soda Lake & Temblor Range, CA (have to click to get full image…for some reason google photo image links don’t display full photos) [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNxoUDnHg7xjFY3AHejld8DyRKGFNuL6252Dj499skz5OIpZjIFiay5-Y_stsydIPfv9MvRlrkplRWUNwDVVozPHSOupji5d7AnG_Yu5BMMjRdCIHOQ=w600-h315-p-k "New item by Dave Carter") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/viqEsZoCkcqrfHpa6) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/14 "2024-09-08T02:33:32Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > My photo is of Mount Taranaki in New Zealand. I remember being wowed seeing that view slide by my window. I was listening to the live version of _Astronomy Domine_ at the time, which enhanced the experience a bit. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/15 "2024-09-08T10:30:19Z")
My profile has a pic of sunrise from altitude. Somewhere over Georgia southbound as I recall. See **[Summary - LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lslguy/summary)** and click the [Expand] button at upper right. I’ve got (unsurprisingly) hundreds of pics of clouds, oceans, sunrises, sets, etc. I don’t have an easy way to share them (yet). No promises. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/16 "2024-09-08T14:24:06Z")
Go Bucks! [![](https://i.imgur.com/5P8mcGj.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/5P8mcGj.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/17 "2024-09-08T19:41:26Z")
Mine from the August photo competition (I wuz robbed!). Important: Click to see the full image. [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczOCxTHfyBC01yE5QO4JvcLRWv0g1qkYO_10ovu0Hn-TWXLAft22c6lj_76EvVIbUyziU_CTAZs628q4WYGyTGL0M7FElUsH4rMT_-GfinyAWqLUi-E3=w600-h315-p-k "New item by James Hyder") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/BjNgFrSiub1LQ3YWA) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2024, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/18 "2024-09-09T13:40:14Z")
Boston Light, Little Brewster Island [![](https://i.imgur.com/g7fTpGB.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/g7fTpGB.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2024, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/19 "2024-09-09T14:03:58Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Mount Taranaki [Apparently that circle around it is real, not some photographic illusion.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egmont_National_Park) > In 1881, a circular area with a radius of six miles (9.6 km) from the summit was protected as a forest reserve. Areas encompassing the older volcanic remnants of Pouakai and Kaitake were later added to the reserve and in 1900 all this land was designated as Egmont National Park, the second [national park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_park) in New Zealand. There are parts of the national park where [old-growth forests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old-growth_forest) are found.[[44]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Taranaki#cite_note-45) With intensively-farmed dairy pasture right up to the park boundary, the change in vegetation is sharply delineated as a circular shape in satellite images.[[45]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Taranaki#cite_note-46) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2024, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931/20 "2024-09-09T14:52:11Z")
A little blurry, but the best I could do under the circumstances: [![](https://i.redd.it/n1i3f12va0861.jpg) ](https://i.redd.it/n1i3f12va0861.jpg) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-taken-from-commercial-airliners/1006931.md?page=2)