This beautiful solar-powered plane is huge - and it's flying around the world

According to Bloomberg, it's as big as a Boeing 747 but weighs only as much as a "family car."

It's the Solar Impulse, an aircraft that powered by light - but that can still soar in darkness because it uses batteries to store energy gathered during daytime flight.

It isn't exactly supersonic, however. But it's currently flying around the world. And it's going to take rather less than 80 days.

Last year, Bloomberg reported that the duo of pilots taking turns at the controls would need to "withstand flying non-stop for five days and nights to prepare for ocean crossings stuffed in a tiny cabin traveling as high as 27,000 feet at about 45 miles per hour."

The aircraft has covered vast distances before: In 2013, it was flown (slowly) across the U.S., in multiple legs, and it's flown (slowly) across continents, from Switzerland to Morocco.

Even though it lacks afterburners, it still looks cool, lazily transiting the skies above the world's cities.

Here are some more photos of the spectacular aircraft and its pilot as they fly around the globe.

Check out this recent video, from the organization behind the plane: