Sometimes you can see 2 lines of white smoke that leave a trail across the sky what is it my 5 year old asked and i didn't know. Please help
2007-10-05 03:43:52 · 10 answers · asked by corey navarre 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
It's not smoke, it's water vapour trails that you see. Basically, as the cool air goes through the jet engines it heats up thus returning the H2o to its gas form (steam). As it is spewed out of the back of the engine the moisture is hitting cold air again and returning to it's liquid state again thus giving an appearance of smoke trailing across the sky. The trails are technically clouds as they are evapourated water just as clouds are.
2007-10-05 03:56:04 · answer #1 · answered by kendavi 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a vapor trail, basically a man-made cloud. The exhaust of engines (and sometimes just the compression of air by the wings) can produce clouds that linger in the air.
In WWII, our bomber crews hated days that were forecast to be humid - because their B17's & B24's would leave vapor trails behind them - basically pointing them out to anti-aircraft batteries.
2007-10-05 04:22:17 · answer #2 · answered by quantumclaustrophobe 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are called contrails, short for "condensation trails." They are formed when the hot, moist exhaust from the engines cools to a temperature where the water vapor in the exhaust condenses into a cloud.
2007-10-05 03:56:12 · answer #3 · answered by ZikZak 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The heat and exhaust from the engines create a vapor behind the plane when it mixes with the cold air of the altitude they are at.
2007-10-05 03:48:52 · answer #4 · answered by Pat 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
My first thought was: clouds!
The massive amount of heat coming out of the back of a jet engine probably flash-condenses a lot of air molecules. I checked Wikipedia and it seems to confirm.
2007-10-05 03:48:23 · answer #5 · answered by Fuji 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
because of the fact they are evil western polluters, inflicting international warming, suffocating candy little puppies and kittens to dying, and many times being the inspiration of all evil! Or, it may desire to in elementary terms be water vapor.
2016-11-07 08:24:39 · answer #6 · answered by purifory 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the plane is very high it is condensed water vapor(clouds) from the engines.If the plane is low, and especially if it is humid,they are wingtip vortices (wake turbulence).
2007-10-05 06:28:42 · answer #7 · answered by Renaissance Man 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Water!
Burning hydrocarbons yields CO2 and H2O, what you see is condensed water. It is not water vapor as another answerer suggests, water vapor is a colorless gas.
2007-10-05 03:48:32 · answer #8 · answered by Tom 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is water vapor.. Not exactly sure as to how it works but I do know that it is water vapor..
2007-10-05 03:47:17 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
vapor
2007-10-05 03:52:35 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋