Debunking Myth That Airplanes Fly Closer To Sun So It’s Hotter

InnovationScienceDebunking Myth That Airplanes Fly Closer To Sun So It’s HotterByMarshall Shepherd,Senior Contributor.Follow AuthorApr 27, 2026, 08:54am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.NEWARK, NJ - MAY 26: An airplane passes by the sun after taking off from Liberty Airport on May 26, 2016 in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)Getty ImagesPeople fly on airplanes daily. During my over thirty years as an atmospheric scientist, I periodically hear myths about the atmosphere, weather, and climate. One that periodically rears its head claims temperatures are warmer where airplanes fly because they are closer to the sun, so contrails could not possibly be forming. Let’s debunk that.SANTA FE, NM - APRIL 10, 2015: Jet aircraft leave streaks of contrails across the sky above Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)Getty Images“Contrails are created when airplanes fly in cold and humid atmospheric conditions and ice crystals form around the particles emitted from the engine,” wrote the Federal Aviation Administration website. It went on to say, “They predominantly appear as white lines against the blue sky.” The term “contrail” means condensation trail. “Contrails are a type of ice cloud, formed by aircraft as water vapor condenses,” said NASA’s website. It continued, “The water vapor is already in the air surrounding the aircraft while the dust, or condensation nuclei, is comprised primarily of soot particles produced during the combustion process.” TORONTO, ON - February 3 - The breath of a worker on Yonge St. can be seen in the air on a bitterly cold day in Toronto. Lance McMillan/Toronto StarFebruary-3-2023 (Photo by Lance McMillan/Toronto Star via Getty Images)Toronto Star via Getty ImagesWhile not exactly the same process, a similar analogue is seen from humans breathing on a cold day. Air from our breath encounters cold air outside of your mouth....