Astronomer Dr Patrick Moore will be leading Bradford stargazers on a flight-of-a-lifetime in search of the Northern Lights.

The trip has been organised by Saltaire travel agent Peter Truman who claims it is the first of its kind in the country.

Passengers are promised a cloud-free view of the night sky and a chance to spot the natural phenomena of the Northern Lights.

The two-and-a-half hour flight will take starwatchers towards the Shetland Islands to get a better chance of seeing the lights.

And there will be a team of on-board astronomers including Dr Moore to point out objects of interest.

Mr Truman, of Saltaire Travel, said: "This is a unique event and we have got the added honour of having Patrick Moore with us. We've already had an excellent response - 117 seats were sold within a week and I've had to put on a bigger plane for 235.

"There's no guarantee that we will see the Northern Lights but experts have told us there's a 60 per cent chance. The further north you go, the better the view, so we're heading to the Shetlands.

"We ran similar excursions to see the Hale-Bop comet, which proved really popular. This is the only flight I'm aware of in the country that takes people in search of the Northern Lights.

"We'll be able to turn off the lights in the aircraft to get an even better view."

The Boeing 757 sets off from Leeds Bradford Airport on Wednesday, February 18, at 9.45pm and Patrick Moore will address the passengers before the flight.

Dr John Baruch from Bradford University, who will be on the trip, said: "The Northern Lights is like a fluorescent light tube in the sky with multiple colours. It's caused by particles that flow from the sun. They go near to the earth and get trapped in a spiral, and when they come into the atmosphere it lights them up.

"It's a spectacular light show. It's normally best seen in Arctic regions but hopefully we'll be lucky on the flight."

The price of the flight is £99.50 per person which includes free parking and refreshments.

To book a place contact Mr Truman on (01274) 585545.

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