This was published 6 years ago
Extraordinary photos: Pilot captures moment when a 'rocket' is launched over China from cockpit window
What started as an unusual bright spot on the horizon grew into a huge balloon.Credit: Christiaan van Heijst
Christiaan van Heijst regularly captures rare sights from the cockpit of the Boeing 747-8 freighter plane he flies for a living.
But the Dutch pilot has described a recent sighting as a "once-in-a-lifetime event".
On a July 22nd flight from Hong Kong to Baku, Azerbaijan, Van Heijst was passing over the Himalayas when he spotted what he believed was a rocket launch above the clouds.
Van Heijst flies as a senior first officer on a Boeing 747 freighter aircraft for Cargolux; Europe's major all-cargo airline.Credit: Christiaan van Heijst
"What started unexpectedly with an unusual bright spot on the horizon quickly changed into a droplet-shaped bubble that rapidly grew in size and altitude," the 33-year-old pilot said.
"Just a few minutes later, the rocket's exhaust gasses started forming a brightly curved trail that was accompanied by various illuminated spots in the dark sky that varied in colour and shape." Van Heijst says the entire event took no more than 12 minutes, from first spotting the bright light to the last dissipating glowing spots in the sky.
The visual spectacle was a total surprise to the pilot, who had not been warned about any activity in the area but knew there was a restricted airspace nearby.
Van Heijst says the entire event took no more than 12 minutes, from first spotting the bright light to the last dissipating glowing spots in the sky.Credit: Christiaan van Heijst
Van Heijst snapped a few photos of it and later found others had witnessed the same thing from the ground.
"My knowledge of hypersonic shock-waves and the behaviour of exhaust gasses in the upper atmosphere is extremely limited, but looking at the photos it seems to me that there have been two rocket stages burning after each other in succession," he wrote on his aviation blog.
"It might be logical to assume this was a test-flight of a rocket or missile in a relatively remote area of China with little to no airways passing through. Except a Dutch pilot and a camera that they might not have counted on."
Pilot Christiaan van Heijst captures moment a rocket is launched over China from Boeing 747 cockpit.Credit: Christiaan van Heijst
It's not the first time Van Heijst has spotted unusual sights up high. In 2014, a rare, and strange, sight over the Pacific Ocean brought him worldwide recognition.
He was flying a 747 from Hong Kong to Alaska when he heard air traffic control talking to other pilots about two large earthquakes in San Francisco and Chile, and a volcanic eruption in Iceland.
"Suddenly, a long way off in the distance ahead, an intense light flash shot up from the ground, just at or beyond the horizon," he said.
The mysterious red lights over the Pacific Ocean in 2014.Credit: Christiaan van Heijst
"It looked like a lightning bolt in a faraway thunderstorm, but a lot more intense and of a much shorter duration, as though something had exploded."
After dimming the cockpit lights, Van Heijst decided to take some photos of the so-called "earth glow" that was visible all over the Northern Hemisphere.
"About 20 minutes later, I noticed a deep red/orange glow appearing ahead of us, and this was confirmed when I looked at preview of the photos on the back of my camera," he said.
The mysterious red lights over the Pacific Ocean in 2014.Credit: Christiaan van Heijst
"There was supposed to be nothing but endless ocean below for hundreds of miles around us."
As the aircraft approached the lights, the glow became more intense, "illuminating the clouds and sky below in a scary orange glow that you would expect with a massive fire on the ground".
The lights have never been explained but he cites possible explanations including bioluminescent plankton, military activity and even UFOs.
"When all else fails; blame the aliens."
You can see more of Christiaan van Heijst's photography on his website and social media.
See also: The secret system stops pilots who can't stand each other from sharing a cockpit
See also: Why it's so hard being a female pilot
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