GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Lines crossing in the sky can be a source of panic for some, but physicists say they are less alarming than they first appear.
There are many more planes in the sky than there were in 2000, and many more than there were in 1970. Most of the time, these planes fly by without a second glance from people down below, but when they leave trails of clouds in the sky, they become hard to miss.
Contrails are becoming increasingly common in American skies as air travel increases. Just look at all the planes in the air right now using this real-time flight tracker. Water vapor has been subtly increasing in the atmosphere too, making the upper levels of the atmosphere more conducive to ‘cloud-lines’ in the sky.
Aviation meteorologists have been forecasting these for years, making sure troops avoided air layers that would produce a contrail. A line like that could make it easy for the enemy to shoot down an aircraft fast…