Satellite Image of the Day: November 19, 2007
(click here for previous images of the day from RUSMART)

NOAA's Hydrometeorologial Prediction Center (HPC) "Daily National Forecast" image shows a daily national weather prediction

NOAA's National Hurricane Center

Satellites: NOAA-15, NOAA 16, NOAA 17 and NOAA-18, part of NOAA's 850km-high (530 mile-high) Polar Orbiting satellites

Jet contrails reveal their presence

Jet exhaust contains a lot of water vapor in addition to a number of (complete and incomplete) combustion products.
These contrails form when hot, invisible water vapor in jet engine exhaust cools high in the atmosphere where it is very cold.
You could even think of these contrails as small "clouds" in their own right.