Lighting Observation 10.1
1) 4/6/12 – 9:32 PM – In airplane, roughly 20,000 feet in altitude somewhere over east coast.
2) OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION: I was flying from Philadelphia to Dublin for spring break. There was a close to full moon out as we took off. As we ascended above the east coast, I looked out the window on the right side of the plane and noticed the moon. It was shining brightly and was casting a long reflection onto the water. You could tell where the land was because there was no reflection.
3) SUBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION: I was finally given the break I was looking for. After a lot of work at school I could not wait for my flight to take off and take me to Dublin for a nice vacation with my parents. I flew in to Philadelphia airport and met my parents where we then proceeded on to Dublin. As we took off there was a low cloud cover that did not allow us to see any stars or the moon that was above us. As we climbed out of the city, we followed the coast north and broke out of the clouds relatively quickly. As we continued north, the clouds below us began to break and the moon became apparent to my mom and me. It was shining intensely and fully over the Atlantic Ocean. As we looked down to the ground below us we noticed the reflection it was creating on the ocean and all of the inlets below us. The pure, brilliant light was shining down and casting a very long and calming reflection all the way to the coast.
As we climbed higher and traveled further north the image became more and more brilliant and beautiful. The light was able to shine clearly through the air and make a very vivid reflection across the Atlantic. The image of this reflection appeared to be so calm and gentle. the water looked so calm and did not seem like we were looking out on the ocean at all. At most it looked simply like a pond of calm water no giant waves or rough water. Looking at the dark spots that represented the land provided a clear and vivid contrast of land and sea that truly enhanced the picture outside of our plane. I stared out of the window watching the light change and watching the dark areas of the coast fly by beneath us. It was so calm and relaxing… just like I wanted my break to be.