Emirates A380 draws condensation streaks high in the sky.
Passenger aircraft fly at about ten to twelve kilometres altitude. There it is very cold, the temperature is around fifty degrees below zero. The combustion of paraffin releases water vapour. Usually, there is already a quantity of water vapour in the air. The streak occurs when the aircraft replenishes the water vapour concentration until the air is saturated with it. This is when ice crystals form. To freeze, a crystallisation nucleus is needed and dust particles can serve for this purpose. When such a small droplet freezes, it will grow strongly by attracting water vapour from the environment.
This photo was taken on 1 June 2019 near Frankfurt am Main airport.
I am Jaap van den Berg and photography has become a great passion of mine since 2010. Since then I travel all over the world to take pictures of military aircrafts. But besides aircraft I also love to photograph other subjects like landscapes, architecture, flowers, animals, .. Read more…