Grand Canyon At Sunset From A Boeing 747

Grand Canyon at Sunset is at its most beautiful and has been captured by Boeing 747 Captain Christiaan van Heijst.

Geoffrey Thomas

By Geoffrey Thomas Sun Jan 22, 2023

Grand Canyon at Sunset is at its most beautiful and has been captured by Boeing 747 Captain Christiaan van Heijst.

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Christiaan van Heijst takes up the story;

"A breathtaking area defined by steep-angled canyons that formed over the course of millions of years as the Colorado river cut its way through the landscape, revealing sedimentary layers that were built up during billions of years.

"A trip down to geological history within a glance.

"Seen here while flying 37,000 ft above, it is also one of the few natural spectacles that is visible from the International Space Station. A charismatic scar on the face of the Earth, if there ever was one.

"It's been a while since I've seen it from the ground. Thirty-five years to be precise: with my parents on a weekend trip from Phoenix during winter when I was just four years old. I still have some memories of that time, remembering the beautiful snow-covered mountains intermixing with so many hues of orange and red from the canyons below.

"I can't wait to go back and explore Arizona once more."

Christiaan is one of the world’s leading aviation photographers and more of his work and close encounter (s) can be found here.

You can follow Christiaan on Instagram here: @jpcvanheijst

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