What it looks like when a plane goes through clouds with bonkers turbulence

If you’ve been in a plane, and said plane goes through some crazy turbulence, then you know how scary it can be. That oh-my-heart-just-dived-into-my-stomach feeling? You’ve felt it. While turbulence is COMPLETELY normal and just a part of traveling via airplane, it still can feel like a big deal. Inside the cabin, seats are shaking, your coffee is spilling on to your tray, and your butt is hovering above your seat for like at least two seconds. But what’s going on outside?

Flugsnug just released a video showing what it actually looks like when a plane is flying through clouds while experiencing severe turbulence. And it’s wild.

So, as large planes fly through the sky, they can leave some intriguing effects in their wake. With their sizable wings, they set off powerful vortices behind them. While this normally cannot be seen by the average observer, an abundance of clouds can help to reveal the meteorological sight that’s appropriately known as “wake turbulence.”

Once the aircraft passes through a congregation of white clouds, these fluffy formations begin to swirl in a hypnotic way. Interestingly enough, they look as though they belong in van Gogh’s Starry Night. (We’re definitely down for a van Gogh sky – all day, every day.)

Unfortunately, other airplane pilots may not see it this way. While a swirling cloud vortex is aesthetically beautiful, it acts as an obstacle course for planes that must fly through it. To fix this problem, aircraft creators are working on technology that reduces these vortices. This won’t only cut back on turbulence – it will also make the plane run more efficiently.

Luckily, we’ll always have this video to remind us of these swirly clouds in their glory days:

Van Gogh would totally be into it.

[Image via YouTube]