what are those white streaks planes leave in the sky?

Question

I see jets traveling in the sky, leaving a long streak of white clouds or powder, kind of like the kind they use to spell out words or messages. What is that for?

Answer 1

The white trail is called a vapor trail, condensation trail, or contrail. As a plane flies through supersaturated air, water vapor condenses on the exhaust particles, creating cloud-like trails called vapor trails, condensation trails, or contrails.

As an aircraft goes higher and higher, the air gets colder and colder. Because of this, the air's humidity goes up the higher you go. At a certain point, the humidity reaches 100%, and the air is called "saturated." The air cannot (usually) hold any more water. This is the level at which clouds form.

But, cloud droplets need to form on something. Dust, usually. Microscopic grains of dusl allow the water vapor in the air to condense, and enough of them in one place cause clouds.

In certain circumstances, there is not anything for the water vapor to condense on, even though the air is more than saturated with water. This condition is called "supersatuation."

When an aircraft flies through the air, the engine produces exhaust gas. This exhaust has lots of microscopic bits in it from unburned fuel, combustion byproducts, and so on. If an airplane flies through supersaturated air, the water vapor will condense on anything it can.

The particles in the engine exhaust. And, that looks very much like a cloud, because it IS a cloud.

So, as a plane flies through supersaturated air, water vapor condenses on the exhaust particles, creating cloud-like trails called vapor trails, condensation trails, or contrails.

Answer 2

You know that dude, Oklatom? Don't believe him. Those streaks are vapour streaks or contrails, or a disruption of the air flow. Each of this happens at different altitudes, and the most common is vapour streaks. I have been watching the wings of the plane carefully everytime I am on one, and all I see is white streaks, and if they had been chemicals, they would not disappear in the air after some time, but will form a chemical cloud.

Answer 3

This is the moisture in the air that has been heated up by passing through the jet engine. You can see the same thing if you place a warm pot of water outside in the cold.

Sky writers use a chemicle cloud generator to creat theirs.

Answer 4

it is of 3 matters, one the plane has no winglets, therefore, wingtip vortices are occuring, Two they are vapor trails caused buy condensation, and Three the plane is probably dumping fuel from the tanks from the wings, if you believe it is skwriting then that can be a fourth matter

Answer 5

Low humidity in the atmosphere=no or tight white streams after jet's. Higher humidity the fluffier the white streams behind jets.

Answer 6

they are called condensation trails or contrails for short and they happen when the hot exhaust from the engine meets the cold air around 30,000 feet or so, and it condenses and forms a vapor, car exhaust and your breath on a cold day does the same thing.

Answer 7

They are called contrails, caused by the hot exhaust gasses from the engines condensing and when they hit the freezing temperatures at altitude.

Answer 8

condesation trails or contrails. water from exhaust of jets condense. only happens at high altitudes, about 30,000 ft.
wow some people have no clue. they are not. i repeat, they are not exhaust fumes.

Answer 9

vapor trails

Answer 10

it's called a vapor trail