The characteristics of a contrail depend initially on the size, shape and engine position of the aircraft that created it ...

What’s up with the contrails? Is it just me, or does anyone else notice the streaked cloud patterns over our fair city lately? Mornings typically start out with cobalt-blue skies, only to be ...

Four research figures show how contrails appear in two satellite views (left) and two photographs taken from the MIT Green Building. Aviation’s climate impact is partly due to contrails — condensation ...

Meteorologist Paul Douglas answers reader questions about the weather and other natural phenomena every couple of weeks. Submit your own questions below. I am hearing more and more about ...

An Airbus A350 flight powered entirely by sustainable aviation fuel has shown measurable cuts in contrail formation and ...

Contrails – short for condensation trails – are linear clouds made up of ice crystals that form behind jet aircraft at high altitudes. These artificial cirrus clouds are formed when hot and moist ...

Planes create hot exhaust that contains a lot of moisture. This is from the burning of jet fuel. When that exhaust exits the plane, it enters a much colder environment in the upper-level portions of ...

Some contrails can contribute to global warming. Contrails—pure ice clouds (“cirrus”) that form from aircraft exhaust under specific cold conditions—can trap heat in the atmosphere, sometimes creating ...