Would a Flying Saucer leave a contrail?

Drewbot

Philosopher
Drewbot
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Last night, I jokingly said to my wife, "Look at the UFO", as a plane flew over my house.

She looked up and said; "UFO'S don't leave an exhaust trail"

I tried to explain about the trail not being exhaust, and actually being water vapor, and she said "Either way a UFO wouldn't leave a trail"

I figure it would, but I thought I'd ask the experts.

Also, by "UFO" she is referring to alien spacecraft.
 
1) we don't know the propulsion system of a UFO so we can not state one way or the other if it would leave a contrail.
2) aircraft sometime do not leave a contrail (depending on atmospheric conditions)
 
Umm... Do all flying vehicles we possess leave a trail?
Then there is no point in trying to guess how vehicles of another species would work.
 
Astrophotographer said:
1) we don't know the propulsion system of a UFO so we can not state one way or the other if it would leave a contrail.
2) aircraft sometime do not leave a contrail (depending on atmospheric conditions)
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Assuming the proper atmospheric conditions of course.
 
It seems your wife is reasoning that since ET's cruiser does not produce exhaust, it would not leave a contrail.

So, we might find an answer by asking if gliders ever leave contrails.
 
Skeptical Greg said:
I would ask her how she acquired this information ...
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I said "are you sure about that?"

But I think she got the info from one of her Psychic, Forensic, Missing, Serial Killer Solving shows that she watches on ID or TLC
 
FramerDave said:
It seems your wife is reasoning that since ET's cruiser does not produce exhaust, it would not leave a contrail.

So, we might find an answer by asking if gliders ever leave contrails.
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Wiki said:
Contrails (short for "condensation trails") or vapour trails are artificial clouds that are the visible trails of condensed water vapour made by the exhaust of aircraft engines. As the hot exhaust gases cool in the surrounding air they may precipitate a cloud of microscopic water droplets. If the air is cold enough, this trail will comprise tiny ice crystals.[1]
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A glider would not leave a contrail.
 
Drewbot said:
A glider would not leave a contrail.
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Then that's one point in your wife's favor.

Please keep in mind I'm not really taking this seriously. I think that chances of UFO's being extraterrestrial craft under intelligent control are about as good as unicorns prancing out of my butt.
 
FramerDave- My sentiments exactly.

I was simply trying to find out how she KNEW that flying saucers didn't leave a contrail.

It was so matter-of-factly stated to me, I thought that I might be out of the loop on UFO tech.
 
You were wrong when you said that a contrail is not exhaust - that's exactly what it is. It's primarily water vapor from the combustion of fuel. I figured one time that a gallon of fuel (plus the oxygen molecules from the air) produces pretty close to a gallon of water when it burns.
 
CurtC said:
You were wrong when you said that a contrail is not exhaust - that's exactly what it is. It's primarily water vapor from the combustion of fuel. I figured one time that a gallon of fuel (plus the oxygen molecules from the air) produces pretty close to a gallon of water when it burns.
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Right, I was unclear, my wife thought it was like the smoke from the combustion of the engine exhaust, the contrail is a result of the exhaust gases hitting the air and creating the water vapor. right?
 
Unless it used chem rockets or jets, no. If it did that in space, you'd arrive a lot, lot lighter at wherever your destination was, assuming a water based biology.
 
Contrails can be formed by the drop in pressure caused by the passage of a wing through the air, if the air is cold and humid enough.

Unless UFOs can pass through the atmosphere without disturbing it in any way they would be liable to generate contrails in this way- especially if they went supersonic.
 
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