These white lines, which may resemble cirrus clouds, are called condensation trails and are popularly known as contrails (from the English “condensation trails”). Contrails are produced as a result of the high temperature of the jets of gases that come out of aircraft engines. These gases, which are essentially formed by air, cause the condensation of water vapor in the atmosphere and, therefore, the formation of contrails. Depending on the circumstances, especially humidity and temperature, the wake can dissipate or increase in size until it becomes a cloud.
To better understand the formation of contrails , there is nothing like leaving home on a cold winter morning. By exhaling the air from our lungs we physically check how a small cloud forms. As the air we expel is warmer than that of the environment, a small amount of water vapor condenses and thus we produce our own wake. Think about how big it can be in the case of airplanes: the gases that come out of the engine do so at temperatures close to 1,000ºC and the temperature of the atmosphere is several tens of degrees below zero .
Possibly it is passing through your head that stelae are not an entirely desirable phenomenon. You are right, but it is an unavoidable fact. The biggest drawback that can occur is that the contrails do not dissipate and become clouds, thus reducing visibility in the airspace and artificially contributing to global warming of the planet.
Conspiracy theories
On the other hand, there is a significant number of people who spread the belief that certain chemicals are spread through condensation trails for various purposes, which has given rise to a conspiracy theory. The phenomenon of chemtrails (chemical trails or chemical trails) has no scientific basis to support it , so its existence has not been able to be reliably demonstrated.
Whether they are contrails or chemtrails , it is not possible to escape them with current engines. Only the future and the evolution of technology will give us the formula for its elimination.
Javier Bujalance is studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Seville. Article written in collaboration with the UCC + i of the University of Seville.
