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What are the white streaks in the sky from?
Those white streaks planes leave behind are actually artificial clouds. They’re called contrails, which is a shortened version of the phrase “condensation trail.” Airplane engines produce exhaust, just like car engines do. As hot exhaust gases escape from a plane, the water vapor in the fumes hits the air.
What are jet contrails?
Contrails are line-shaped clouds or “condensation trails,” composed of ice particles, that. are visible behind jet aircraft engines, typically at cruise altitudes in the upper atmos- phere1. Contrails have been a normal effect of jet aviation since its earliest days.
What are the white lines planes?
In short, contrails are formed when the water vapor in the exhaust from the plane’s engines condenses into water droplets, which then freeze into ice particles composing a line-shaped cloud. The impurities in the jet exhaust form some of the particles on which water droplet grow, before freezing.
What do striped clouds mean?
The wavy strips of clouds are generally near an inversion surface. Also referred to as billow clouds, wind row clouds, or wave clouds, variations of the undulatus can be elements that have merged or single elements that have stretched through the sky.
What do cloud streets mean?
Cloud streets are long rows of cumulus clouds that are oriented parallel to the direction of the wind. They’re formed by convection rolls of rising warm air and sinking cool air. When moisture in the warm air mass cools and condenses, it forms clouds.
What do contrails look like?
Contrails may appear on clear or partly cloudy days because of jet engine exhaust that contains water vapor. The water vapor condenses at high altitudes where a layer of air is cold and contains moisture. The condensation is visible from the ground, appearing to look like pencil thin lines of ‘cloud.
Why do contrails not dissipate?
If the humidity is low and the temperature is not cold enough (above -40 degrees Fahrenheit) contrails will dissipate quickly. However, if the air is moist and the temperature is -40ºF or below, then a contrail will “persist” for as long as 30 minutes to an hour.