These are contrails (short for condensation trails) made by jet aircraft engines. Water vapor in the engine exhaust condenses and freezes at high altitude, producing the thin white lines we see from the ground. From what I read (Wikipedia), the formation of the clouds depends on the altitude of the aircraft and the temperature and humidity of the air through which it flies.
We live below a busy north-south air corridor and, depending on the day, I can see many contrails streaking through the sky above us. Airports north of us include Paris, London (and other UK airports), Dublin, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Down south are destinations in Spain and Portugal, the French Mediterranean coast, Italy, and North Africa. And beyond!
Thank you, Mister Wizard. Now for the weather. It's not going to get as warm as was predicted a few days ago. Par for the course. Anything can happen in March.
I always enjoy your contrail photos. We only get one here or there. Not as dramatic.
ReplyDeleteIt must really be cold up in that high sky all the time (thinking of here how easy it is to see the contrails even during the hot summers. Thanks for the explanation.
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