I wonder what the thick white smoke coming out from commercial aircraft engines when it flies too high.?

Question

I wonder what the thick white smoke coming out from commercial aircraft engines when it flies too high.?

Answer 1

Oh my god !!!! I hope it landed safely.

Its water from the engines quckly turning to microscopic ice cyrstals. Baiscally a really long and skinny cloud.

Answer 2

they are called contrails, and they are pretty harmless, they are more of a visual pollution than anything else

Answer 3

Mostly water vapor.  You see it at high altitudes because it quickly condenses.

(The engines also emit smoke, but that's less visible.)

Answer 4

It's condensation caused by the water vapor of the exhaust quickly condensing in the -50F atmosphere.  Very bad thing to have happen tactically.

Answer 5

Good question, i used to wonder that. here it is. just like moist air condenses on the outside of a cold glass,  (t never happens on room temperature glasses) up high there is a boundary layer where the air above is ery cold, aircraft engines dont burn 100% of the fuel, some exits as vapor and when that moist vapor touches the cold air that forms the vapor trails you see. just like when you breath out on a winter day. in world war 2 bombers had to fly high to avoid being shot down but the problem was at that altitude they let out a long vapor trail that made them very easy to spot by the enemy fighter planes,  thats a deep question you asked..