Solar-powered plane on global flight nears California

OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- A solar-powered airplane on an around-the-world journey has traveled 80 percent of the way from Hawaii to California.

The project's website says the Solar Impulse 2 aircraft is 48 hours into a three-day flight over the Pacific.

The aircraft's destination on this leg of the journey is Mountain View, California, at the southern end of San Francisco Bay.

The aircraft's wings are covered with solar cells to take energy from the sun to power the motors turning its propellers. During darkness it relies on energy stored in batteries.

As the sun rose over the Pacific on Saturday, the plane's batteries began charging again.

The aircraft started its journey in March 2015 from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.