h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I had the lucky experience of seeing the Winter Solstice on an airplane the morning of the 21st December 1999 (I was flying over to London).

Actually, the sunrise itself was not that impressive - it was a very cold morning and the sun just appeared on the horizon without much fanfare. It was already a brilliant white, not red, so it made prolonged viewing difficult.

I saw another dawn on a plane the week before which was altogether far better. Large cumulus clouds in the far distance went blood red, and then an incredibly bright light shone out between a gap in the clouds. The sun, now a deep vermillion, rose quickly, painting long shadows on the sky-scape far below me. After that, it's amazing I got any work done that day...