Sunlit Contrail Observation

Summary

On March 14, 2013, a witness in Trouville-sur-Mer observed a bright yellow-orange phenomenon in the sky. After briefly looking away, the object had disappeared. Analysis of the video, available online, clearly pointed to a conventional explanation. It was a contrail from an airplane illuminated by the setting sun. These contrails can appear very bright and orange due to sunlight reflecting from below. The perspective and distance make them appear vertical, even though they are actually parallel to the ground. The plane was approaching the witness, which explained the apparent stillness of the object. Additionally, as the plane entered the Earth's shadow, the contrail became invisible. This kind of phenomenon is common under specific weather conditions, with clear skies and certain levels of humidity and temperature at high altitude.