Sunrise, Sunset

Yesterday morning, the sunrise in Greensboro was a powdery pink and blue, and very noticeable with the leaves now off the trees. The sunset was also a beauty. Instead of sharing a sunset photo, we moved the camera over a bit to feature this pink contrail and the sunset reflecting off the airplane heading into Piedmont Triad International Airport. We bet the view was especially beautiful for the passengers in the plane.

Contrails are actually condensation trails that form from the water in jet exhaust mixing with wet cold air in the atmosphere. The water freezes and condenses into ice crystals. At just the right time, when the sun is low to the horizon, the contrails can take on a beautiful pink glow; cloud-stripes of sorts. Yesterday was a great evening for contrails in the northwestern part of town, near the airport. It is not uncommon to see cars pulled off the road near the airport watching planes take off and land; a beautiful sunset is always a bonus.

Comments

[Jacob]

Well, this is a first for me. I've never seen pink vapor trails before. Very nice, Jan!

[William Kendall]

Great catch!