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Cool Condensation Clouds Caused By Jets
Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2004 8:38 pm
by random member
http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/images/hornetsb.jpg
This picture shows a military aircraft breaking the sound barrier and creating a condensation cloud.
Does anyone know why the clouds are formed?
Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2004 9:56 pm
by Parrakarry
If I had to guess, I'd say that once you break the barrier, any moisture on the jet can't keep up anymore and is flung backwards instantly. Of course, that's just a completely random guess. I'm probably totally wrong.
Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:59 pm
by random member
Yo. Thanks.
Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 12:14 am
by Ace Mercury
What I think is that those contrails are a result of supercool water vapour in the upper atmosphere. The super-cooled water solidifies when a seed (i.e. the jet) passes through the vapour, and the resulting trail is made primarily of small ice crystals suspended in the air, flung backwards by the extreme speed of the airplane.
It's ironic that those 'cool' contrails contribute to global warming, as the cloud buildup traps heat that would otherwise irradiate out into space.
