Iridescent Contrail
Taken by Soumyadeep Mukherjee on July 24, 2023 @
Kolkata, India
Click photo for larger image
| |
Camera Used: NIKON CORPORATION NIKON Z 6_2
Exposure Time: 1/8000
Aperture: f/6.3
ISO: 320
Date Taken: 2023:07:24 09:21:18
|
|
| More images
Details:
On the morning of 24th July, I was able to capture a rare optical phenomenon known as Iridescent Contrail. Around 8:35 AM IST, I saw a vivid coloured contrail created by a Biman Bangladesh flight crossing above Kolkata. I immediately took out my gear and captured a few images.
Aircraft contrails have two sources. The major one is water droplets condensed from water vapour generated in the engines. Combustion of aviation fuel gives water vapour, carbon dioxide and traces of NOx and soot. The second generator is water vapour already in the air condensed to droplets by airflow over the fuselage and wings. Air passing over the top of wings or convex fuselage sections travels faster, expands and cools. Sometimes, if the air is sufficiently humid, water vapour then condenses out into a fine droplet mist. The iridescent colours are produced by individual water droplets diffracting sunlight. When the droplets are locally of similar size they all diffract their coloured light into the same direction and so colours become evident to us. (Via Les Cowley, Atmospheric Optics)
Equipment: Nikon Z6ii, Sigma 150-600c
Exif: f/6.3, ISO 320, 1/8000s, 600mm
Processing: Adobe Camera Raw
Date: 24th July 2023
Location: Kolkata, India
Photographer's website:
https://instagram.com/soumyadeepmukherjeephotos
|
|
|
