The Cellar - View Single Post

Kitsune · 10-22-2004, 01:09 PM

You don't see them on normal satellite images because: the weather isn't always optimal for their formation and the satellite images you see on normal weather programs are over such large areas that they are rarely visible. Sometimes, though, they are -- a lot of the cirrus clouds you see are the remnants of contrails that have been scattered and spread out by the wind.

And I don't think they're filtering any weather out in these images -- you can still see clouds in them. My guess is that they took the images during the colder winter months when the air is mostly clear and jet contrails not only tend to form easily, but also tend to stick around for almost the entire day, spread out, etc. During many of the winters I spent in Atlanta you could look up and see nothing but the contrails for all the traffic coming into and out of Hartsfield.

10-22-2004, 01:09 PM	#6
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	You don't see them on normal satellite images because: the weather isn't always optimal for their formation and the satellite images you see on normal weather programs are over such large areas that they are rarely visible. Sometimes, though, they are -- a lot of the cirrus clouds you see are the remnants of contrails that have been scattered and spread out by the wind. And I don't think they're filtering any weather out in these images -- you can still see clouds in them. My guess is that they took the images during the colder winter months when the air is mostly clear and jet contrails not only tend to form easily, but also tend to stick around for almost the entire day, spread out, etc. During many of the winters I spent in Atlanta you could look up and see nothing but the contrails for all the traffic coming into and out of Hartsfield.