I’m running after the fleeting twilight on my way to Seattle. It’s been like this for the last four hours: us extending the sunset at 35,000 feet. We passed by a thundercloud somewhere over the Pennsylvanian countryside. Seeing the real thing face to face is so much more dramatic than what is seen in the movies or perhaps the Twilight Zone.
For the next 3 hours afterwards, the characteristic rich orange hues dominated the sky. You could easily see what Ronald Reagan found so appealing in his sunset funeral.
Now the darkness dominates as we duck into a dozen clouds. Yet as the sky dims, the ground lights up with its own orange glow of street slights. Near, you can make out the details of the ground; far, the lights become a string of light, then whisps of orange filaments.