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| - What was claimed
A video shows a plane emitting a thick “chemtrail” cloud.
Our verdict
False. The video shows a condensation trail formed from water vapour and enhanced by light levels and other atmospheric conditions
A video shows a plane emitting a thick “chemtrail” cloud.
False. The video shows a condensation trail formed from water vapour and enhanced by light levels and other atmospheric conditions
Claims that a video posted on Facebook shows a “massive” stream of chemicals emerging from the back of a passenger plane are false.
The footage, which was filmed from another aircraft, shows a passenger plane approaching with large clouds of vapour trailing behind it. A caption on the post reads: “Massive Chemtrail #Ariplane [sic] #Chemtrails #Contrails”.
“Chemtrails” refers to a long-standing conspiracy theory which claims such vapour clouds are evidence of a plot to either spread poison or control the weather by spraying chemicals from aircraft.
As we’ve written before, the clouds are actually condensation trails, or ‘contrails’, and are formed when water vapour from the aircraft’s engines mixes with cold air in the upper atmosphere.
The video posted on Facebook features footage shot by pilot Lou Boyer who filmed it from the cockpit of a Boeing 747 he was flying from Tokyo to Alaska.
The full video, which he uploaded to his YouTube channel, shows the contrails in question are being created by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft which eventually passes directly beneath Mr Boyer’s plane. The video has been viewed more than 4 million times.
Mr Boyer was reported to have commented that he shot the footage while flying over eastern Russia and that the second aircraft was 1,000 feet beneath him when they crossed paths.
He noted that the contrails appeared especially dense and dramatic due to the time of day and specific atmosphere conditions.
“Due to volcanic activity in the area, quite a few flights were on the same route over eastern Russia,” he said. “The combination of high relative humidity and a nice sunrise gave this contrail a nice deep color as the contrail created its own shadow.”
Full Fact has written a number of articles on the chemtrails conspiracy theory based on misinformation being shared on social media.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because the clouds behind the aircraft are not chemtrails but rather condensation trails formed from water vapour.
Full Fact fights for good, reliable information in the media, online, and in politics.
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