Went to Communion Service at Aldham Church this morning, and got home about 12.30. It was such a lovely day that lunch in the garden - sandwiches, strawberries, etc., seemed a good idea. After lunch we decided to have a further play with the new camera. Quite pleased with it.
We then both spotted that a fairly unusual cloud was stretched across about eighty percent of the sky (judging from horizon to horizon). Ribbon like appearance with 'mares' tails' (cirrus ?) all along it, and appeared higher up than the few small white clouds in the sky. Have any of you scientific types out there any idea of what it was? Judging by the movement of the higher clouds there was a slight South West wind blowing at the time. No wind apparent at ground level. All suggestions (sensible ones mind, Rog and Crowbard) appreciated.
13 comments:
Hi Mike,
it is a condensation trail from a high altitude jet plane which is being whipped into mare's tail formation by the Jet-stream (a high altitude air current).
Do I have to be so prosaically boring or was it just a one-off request?
Pretty Please?.....
I think Mike is right. Your photos are beautiful...what kind of a camera did you get?
Hello Crowbard. This wasn't much like the usual condensation trail (we get lots of them in this area). This went overhead and almost from horizon to horizon, without being blown much out of shape, although the length of it had mares' tails out at both sides. Most of these 'trails' are blown way out of shape long before they reach the length of this one.
I suppose you must be right, but it was of unusual length and stability. And of great beauty.
Hello Lori. It is not a make I'd heard of. It is a Lumix with a Leica lens. I am quite impressed with it. I have to go back to the shop where I bought it (in Ipswich) for an hour's tuition on it.
Ernst Leitz developed the German Leica camera (and aided many of his Jewish employees escape from Nazi anti-Semitic activities.) The Leica lens sytems are in every way comparable to those of Carl Zeiss.
I think Panasonic produce the Lumix series of cameras, they started as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. and are now known as Panasonic Corporation. Top quality technology anyway.
Thank you Crowbard. That's reassuring.
Lumix camera's have a very good reputation.
The colours in your photos are brilliant, and don't you look especially dapper in that top one!
Thank you, Liz.
Mares' tail clouds form above 23,000 feet, (ceiling height uncertain).
Large modern air-liners cruise at 50,000 feet, so chances are the one that made your 'cloud' was either on the way up or on the way down.
Did the trail point towards Heathrow or away from it?
Hello Crowbard. Neither. It was (as far as I can judge) almost exactly East- West.
Or, looking at the picture, more probably West to East.
Probably coming into Birmingham or East Midlands Airport in that case, Mike.
Or looking at the picture, just departing one of those.
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