All eyes on the moon on special day

Passengers on 364 flights flying out of Shanghai and 343 flights into the city will appreciate the silvery full moon for 12 hours on the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival in both of Shanghai's airports.

Travelers on a total of 707 flights are expected to depart from or arrive in the city from 6 pm on Sept 30 to 6 am on Oct 1, which is regarded as the good time to appreciate the moon from above. The Shanghai Morning Post that 8 pm to midnight is thought as the best time to see the moon.

The paper also claimed that seats on the east side of the plane are the best seats to enjoy the glorious full moon for flights heading north to south, or vice versa. The left side of the passenger cabin is more popular than the right side if the airliner is heading east to west; the right side is preferred if the airliner is heading west to east.

Twenty-eight-year-old Liu Chang, who plans to fly to Shenzhen for a family reunion on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, said he's looking forward to seeing the moon from the cabin window. "I'm expecting the moon to be much bigger and brighter. There should be a sublime presence," he said. "It will have no light pollution or building barriers."

However, Zhu Dayi, a spokesman for the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, said there won't be much difference in the moon's appearance from the air compared with the ground, as "the naked eye can't tell the difference".