Plane & Pilot Photo Of The Week for March 26, 2021: Earth's Terminator

We'll admit that saying the word "terminator" out loud without imitating Arnold Schwarzenegger is impossible, but in this case, it's a different kind of "terminator" we're talking about, one that we're always moving toward instead of running away from.

The terminator is the scientific term for what we often refer to as "twilight." We think of it as the subtle changing of the quality of light between night and day. While that transition is gradual and we think of it in terms of time, that's only because our perspective is both fixed and ground bound. When weather and lighting conditions are just right, it can be photographed, especially from the air. And we're lucky enough to have just such a photograph to share with you, thanks to air-to-ground photographer Dave Boido, who got this beautiful shot while flying over Castana, Iowa.

The thing is, too, that very few people would recognize what's actually captured in the photo. But here's a little video that makes it very clear. When you're traveling at thousands of miles per hour while in an earth orbit, one's perspective changes some.

Thanks for sharing this, Dave!