Solar Impulse 2 begins around-the-world flight (pictures)

Solar Impulse 2 takes off from Abu Dhabi's executive airport Monday.

Related story: Solar airplane soars to start first-ever round-the-world trip

The Solar Impulse 2 takes off from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates to begin its first leg.

You can monitor a variety of flight aspects at the SolarImpulse.com website. On Monday however,  during the first leg of a planned global circumnavigation, the website went offline.

You can check the Solar Impulse 2's battery status, including whether they're charging in the sun or discharging to power the plane's four electric motors.

The Solar Impulse flies its first segment of an attempt to circumnavigate the world.

If you're curious about whether the plane is banking, ascending or descending, the SolarImpulse.com website offers telemetry to see.

André Borschberg, one of Solar Impulse's two pilots, is visible via a webcam.

The Solar Impulse 2 uses energy-efficient LEDs. Its 72-meter wingspan is wider than that of a Boeing 747.

The Solar Impulse 2 descends to the runway in Oman. The plane's batteries charge during the day, letting it fly at night.

The Solar Impulse 2 touches down after a 13-hour flight. Winds meant the plane circled over the Sea of Oman until conditions were more favorable.

Solar Impulse taxis along a runway in Oman after completing its first of 12 stages for a trip around the world.

The SolarImpulse.com website went down Monday, but the project organizers posted their own telemetry data on Twitter.

The first trip in the round-the-world effort heads east from the United Arab Emirates to Oman. The batteries charge en route, a key part of the technology necessary to carry the plane through the night.

The mission control for the Solar Impulse 2 flight is in Switzerland.