I remember as a kid in the 60’s, laying on the lawn with friends and peering up at the sky at cloud formations. The game was to find clouds that resembled the shapes of familiar things like elephants, boats or angels in the puffy white friendly formations above. But today, if I played the cloud game with my grandkids, it would more likely be tic-tac-toe or some other grid game. Where have the angels and elephants gone?
Merely asking this question raises eyebrows of concern over one’s mental state. “Has she become one of those conspiracy theorists?” My friends and family wonder about my mental health as the skies above us cast shadows upon our day. When searching the topic of jet emissions, a broad spectrum of articles appear. The explanations range from a benign phenomenon created by ice crystals formed in the condensation of jet exhaust to more sinister government plots of population control.
Despite my family’s skeptical whispers, I consider myself a rational person. I would much rather dismiss the issue as a benign occurrence and focus on more uplifting things. But, the obvious cannot be ignored. I have questions. I’m sure that you do too. If you don’t, you really should.
Contrail vs Chemtrail
First, let’s begin with the terms.
- Contrails: Defined as a trail of condensed water from an aircraft or rocket at high altitude, seen as a white streak against the sky.
- Chemtrail: The term commonly used for contrails-with-a-twist. The twist being the intentional application of chemical agents dispersed as an aerosol in jet exhaust. Or even darker…as an aerosol spray… from special airplanes.
Wikipedia states that there is a visible difference between chemtrails and contrails. Contrails dissipate in a few minutes and chemtrails persist for hours. However, according to the World Meteorological Organization, the proper term for a persistent airplane vapor trail is Cirrus Homogenitus . Also referred to as persistent clouds developed by human activity (fake clouds). Seriously, from my experience, if something in this world is given a Latin name, it must be legit.
Why do fake clouds form?
The quick answer is that contrails form when water vapor condenses and freezes around small particles or aerosols in the exhaust of an aircraft. Really, a better question might be: what are the small particles? The answer to this question is where the contrail takes a turn into chemtrail territory. The simple truth is that every condensation trail has a chemical profile. The profile is made of the components in the jet fuel, water and the chemical compounds created by combustion, temperature, and humidity.
So, what is that cloud-making particle?
In a study of jet aircraft emission particulates conducted by NASA in 2014, the most substantial chemical elements of soot created by jet exhaust are (N) nitrogen, (S) sulfur and (Na) sodium. According to NASA’s study, sulfur is the nucleic core of condensation particles. Additionally, this plain English webpage managed by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services confirms that the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil which contain sulfur) produces sulfur dioxide, the gas at the core of condensation trails.
So, what does this mean?
Well, this means that sulfuric gases are necessary for the formation of contrails, chemtrails, Cirrus Homogenitus or whichever name fits with your interests. The higher the sulfur content, the more cloud-making particles there are. And, more particles mean a more robust and persistent the plume of fake clouds at a cruising altitude of 25,000 feet.
What this means to you: dimmer days with fewer puffy white angels and elephants floating across a blue sky.
Read more about how Mother Nature taught us how to create persistent condensation trails.