20 Oct Keep Your Eyes on the Sky

Something that definitely stuck out to me about San Francisco, from early in my time here, is the number contrails you see in the sky. For any unfamiliar with the term, contrails (or condensation trails) are those long, white streaks of vapor you see left behind by planes traveling at high altitude. I think they’re great, and I’ve paid attention to them since I was a kid. They look so cool, particularly when they’re quite dense, or later in the day when they’re set to the purple and pink cast across the sky by the setting sun. Back home in Melbourne, I’d be lucky to see two or three good ones a year. In this very interesting city, it isn’t uncommon to spot three or four a day.

Many people are understandably fascinated by these things, to the extent that some speculate wildly as to what they are, choosing to reject the relatively simple explanation offered by science, involving the result of jet engines blowing hot, humid air into a cold atmosphere with low vapor pressure. But what do the conspiracy theorists posit? They’re chemtrails, of course. Clouds of toxic chemicals sprayed into the atmosphere by the government to control or otherwise harm the masses. I love a good conspiracy theory, but c’mon. I’m sure the governments of the world are capable of more clandestine approaches to whatever sinister pursuits they’ve got going on.

So why are there so many here? I did a bit of research online (about five minutes’ worth, which was as long as I was willing to spend at the time) and couldn’t find an answer. All I found was different takes on the same conspiracy theory. Mind control, controlling the weather, slowing global warming. You name it. If I had to guess, I’d say it has something to do with the very unique weather patterns that exist in this part of California, along with, possibly, the frequency of planes flying overhead this part of the country (not something I’ve researched, just taking a stab in the dark here.) Either way, they’re pretty, and interesting to think about. Of all the ominous explanations I encountered in my five minutes of research, the one that seemed to have the most legitimate backing, or that was presented in a way that could be taken seriously on any level, can be found here:

http://stopsprayingus-sf.com/epa/

See what you think.