A video shared on social media recently shows the real speed at which a Boeing 737 flies, leaving some viewers in disbelief. The 737, which reaches an average cruising speed of 545mph, appears at the speed it actually travels, unlike how they appear when seen from the ground. That’s because the seemingly slow speed we see planes traveling when we’re on the ground is due to a phenomena called Motion Parallax. This concept refers to the fact that objects moving at a constant speed across the frame appear to move more slowly when they’re farther away from the viewer than they would if they were closer. The person filming the plane in the video clip is closer to the moving jet than a person watching a plane normally would be. Reactions to the video have been mixed, with some saying they didn’t believe it, while others believe it enough to say they’re never flying again.
