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[PHOTO] A Smoke Angel from Airplane Flares

apod.nasa.gov — Looking perhaps a bit like a gigantic owl monster, the cloud pictured above resulted from a series of flares released by an air force jet over the Atlantic Ocean in May. The jet that released the flares, a C-17 Globemaster III, is seen on the right. The flares release smoke and the resulting pattern is sometimes known as a smoke angel.

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  • Stevejsam, on 10/11/2007, -13/+43I work on a plane bigger then that one. Flares can burn a 1 foot deep hole in concrete. Nasty stuff.
    P.S.- winglets are for pussies
  • webcure, on 10/11/2007, -7/+4That is a really interesting photo...
    Happy trails...
    • Phipman, on 10/11/2007, -6/+2does anyone else see a crazy guy with a massive mustache or is that just me?
    • Light11, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1just u
  • mentallyinhell, on 10/11/2007, -9/+98The flying spaghetti monster!
    • xrisnothing, on 10/11/2007, -4/+23I clearly see the spaghetti monster. The two meatball eyes and the spaghetti are both there.
    • Mleiva, on 10/11/2007, -11/+3I SEE IT TOO
    • bizchris, on 10/11/2007, -4/+4Curse my eyes, I only see Jar-Jar Binks... :-(
    • Charron, on 10/11/2007, -2/+4@bizchris

      Your eyes are already cursed, then.
  • KD5VMO, on 10/11/2007, -6/+2This has been in digg numerous times, but it still is cool.)
  • Vich, on 10/11/2007, -10/+7The flying spaghetti monster is invisible, but he can cause disturbances. I think this is one of the only photos of such an occurence too, and for that reason it is sacred to pirates and pastafanarians alike.
    • datagod, on 10/11/2007, -5/+2I was just about to say the same thing....
  • Jessejb, on 10/11/2007, -2/+6Why?

    Wingtips are hot. G550's have them.

    It could look like one of the muppets from the muppet band.
  • Usernamesarefun, on 10/11/2007, -5/+2I don't see an angel at all.
    I see a Muppet-looking thing, or a flying spaghetti monster, whatever floats your boat..
  • furrot, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Reminds me of that scene in Hellsing, where the Vatican fire off flares like that to make it look like "angels of god" are coming to save London... right before they start shooting...
  • seamoon, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1It just looks like Gandalf.
  • byronknoll, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Here is an RSS feed for the astronomy pictures of the day: http://www.acme.com/jef/apod/rss.xml
    • nataliej, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Sweeet. Just what I was looking for :)
    • Barryke, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1How should one use that optimally?
      What is the best RSS client?
  • Toophatz007, on 10/11/2007, -1/+22"I work on a plane bigger then that one. winglets are for pussies"
    @ stevejsam
    You work on C-5' Galaxies I see. I'll take a C-17 any day...hell it checks it's own oil, nearly changes its own tires with integral jacking, and is has QUIET engines- oh, AND a crew chief can convert it from "pure cargo" to a stealth "airborne infantry" airdrop in under 20 minutes solo. It is the best of all the heavies combined.

    lol those winglets make all the difference too, chicks dig stability.

    • jtorkbob, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7So, maybe it's Digg's fault. I hear these things happen sometimes.

      Everybody thinks their comment is the best, and posts a reply to the first comment even though it has nothing to do with the first comment.

      Now, for once, a reasonable reply to the first post and what do you know? It's not attached to the first comment.

      I smell conspiracy.

      (I'm new here, but I'll say it: why can't Digg have proper threads?)
    • virtualfred, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3FYI, winglets are not for stability but for fuel efficiency. They force the air flow over the wings instead of allowing it to leak at the wing tips.

      On the other hand, I have no idea if chicks dig efficiency...
  • reventlov, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4AKU!!!!!!
  • LaueOfficer, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1Experiences from other postings of these flare patterns have taught me one thing: a lot of people don't know the difference between flares and chaff. The first person to make that mistake gets punched in the kidneys.
    • rusty0101, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1So you're saying if I ask how in the world is a cloud like that supposed to affect radar controlled missiles, or why is all that chaff the flares released white, rather than either black or like the little strips of aluminum foil they used in WWII, I can expect to talk to my doctor about why I have only one usable kidney left?

      Cool.
    • LaueOfficer, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1*rubs wrist after punching your kidney* Sigh.... Flares are hot, they burn, some types of missiles look for hot things (you know, like heatseeker, eh?) You get it? Now chaff is TOTALLY different, you do not see any chaff in that pic, that is SMOKE, when flares burn, they release SMOKE. Got that? Awesome, now go talk to your doctor.
    • rusty0101, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Oh, good. My urologist was wondering why she hadn't been seeing blood in my urine for a while. She was getting concerned that she wasn't going to be seeing me any more. She's much more giddy now.
    • LaueOfficer, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I'm glad we've had this talk.
  • sk8errob, on 10/11/2007, -5/+2Inspiring... RAmen
  • swook, on 10/11/2007, -6/+1A sure sign that our Uniformed Heroes are doing the Good Lord's work in the Middle East.
  • swook, on 10/11/2007, -6/+7Every time an American soldier kills a brown person an angel gets its wings.
  • illegalamigo, on 10/11/2007, -2/+5it looks like the flying spaghetti monster

    nevermind, i should have read that infinity other people thought that too
  • gitrplaya4u, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Thats weird...it didn't say "amazing photo of smoke angel"
  • raarky, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1its his noodly appendage!!!
  • damazepro, on 10/11/2007, -4/+2Might as well call it an Aero-Fart of Astronomical proportions
  • Habemus, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2I see Jar Jar Binks -- big googly eyes and dreadlock ears
  • Comatose51, on 10/11/2007, -1/+12That is obviously the work of his noodliness.

    Ramen.
  • bluezinc, on 10/11/2007, -5/+1That angel has some tig ol bitties.
  • javiero, on 10/11/2007, -5/+0I wonder how much it cost to fuel up and prep a jet for every flight just to make these angels, who pays for that money and why there are a lot of people in need for healthcare.
    • IShortysI, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4well jp-8 costs about $2.43 a gallon and a c-17 can hold 27,086 gallons so that comes out to about $65,818.98 to fuel up one of those bad boys. oh and you of course pay for it. not quit as bad as an f-16 (roughly 14000pounds including external tanks) and burns thru all that in about an hour and a half.
    • rusty0101, on 10/11/2007, -5/+2Well, the first is sort of an indication of the raw intelligence of the questioner. The second obviously depends upon where you live, and who you pay taxes to. Considering where I live, and whom I pay taxes too, I think some of my money is probably being spent in the creation of these angels. The last is easy enough, there happen to be a lot of people. For the most part they need healthcare. (I.e. it's another indication of the raw intelligence of the questioner.)

      Something tells me the questions you wanted to ask are more along the lines of "How expensive are these smoke angels related to the potential cost of the loss of life that could happen if they were not being created?" "Who is paying the expenses related to either situation?" "How many people could have far better health care if the expenses related to these smoke angels could be allocated to health care for the general population?"

      As a minor note, and it happens to relate to the last of those questions, from shortly after a soldier who is wounded in Iraq enters the military health care system, it is far easier for parents, loved ones, and even children to keep track of that soldier's condition than in any other health care system on earth. That system can get far superior information related to the treatment of every injury the soldier has suffered, from a more diverse collection of doctors than the finest civilian health care system can provide. And while people who need to know the soldier's condition can find out with up to the minute information, it has a higher level of security than any other health care system. It also turns out that a soldier who enters the military health care system today, for any reason, has a higher survival chance than any soldier in the history of warfare.

      There are unfortunate side effects to this, such as injuries that would have killed a soldier a decade ago may now leave the soldier with permanent brain damage, but overall the lessons we are learning in the health care systems as a result of this war, are likely to provide a significant improvement to overall health care in the long term. Just as the lessons we learned dealing with gunshot wounds during Vietnam taught us the benefits of responding to trauma within the first hour, and the re-constructive surgery lessons that were learned in WWII brought us significant improvements to re-constructive, and subsequently cosmetic surgery in the decades that followed.

      I am not in favor of all of what has happened in the middle east. However I would very much rather we realize that smoke angels are a part of a larger situation that does have some positive outcomes for all of us.
  • rheaume, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2I hate it when dupes arent even HDR-enchanced...
  • markg483, on 10/11/2007, -3/+0It bears a striking resemblance to the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Is this His Noodliness making his presence manifest?
  • KillaJazzBass, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Lets compare the 781 write ups of a C-5 and a C-17.

    C-17 wins.

    But what do I know, Im workin the KC-10s. Only the best heavy in the fleet. Damn straight, you heard me, wanna fight?
    • rusty0101, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3Nah, just keep track of which pilots don't want to believe you. Funny how they seem to have problems hooking up in the air, isn't it?
  • timelimit, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Those damn Moonkins get everywhere nowadays!
  • mookieXL, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Guy who designed this was obviously rRootage fan.
  • bakkouz, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1I wonder, has anybody ever seen an angel? maybe thats not what angel wings look like, maybe they look like bat wings, or some other form that we are not familiar with.
  • Zoltair, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9This is soo old, and so duplicated, my grandmother can fart smoke angels... buried....
  • DangerCollie, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3"my grandmother can fart smoke angels..."

    I'll bet reunions are a real hoot in your family. ;)
  • javiero, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1@ rusty0101
    Dugg up, althought you coul've given your explanation perfectly without hoping on my dick like it was a rocking chair, which is an indication of the asshat status of the rocking individual. ( as you'd write it.)
    Confusing "too" with "to" is an indication of raw intelligence, wondering how much does it cost to fuel up a jet is not son.
  • Sharky35, on 10/11/2007, -2/+4Wow, looks like they just got finished bombing innocent Iraqi children. And decided to pollute the atmosphere the help speed up global warming. And that "smoke" could be nano RFID tags the brainwash Americans to vote for Fred Thompson.

    Not buying the whole "flare" story.
  • indyGuy, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1All i saw was a pair of nipples. I should be ashamed. should.
  • aaronleland, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1Hey, I have a joke. Stop me if you've heard this one. It looks like the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
  • toxicityj, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3that looks more like two pac men with long beards and long hair going in for a kiss...
  • econojon, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5It looks like the Spaghetti Monster!
  • Typhoon2009, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2On YouTube there's a cool video of a C-130 firing its flares are few time, which pulls off an 'angel's fire' effect like here.
  • JohnnyXmas, on 10/11/2007, -2/+0HOOOOooooooooo Graham! (King's Quest II FTW)
  • silentdud, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2you know I could have sworn I saw the virgin mary lol
  • mactrix, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4Why is the jet flying at it instead of away?!
  • nastri83, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5O RLY???!?!?!??!!??!???!

    -Sincerely wishing html tags were allowed.
  • effdatitsnick, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3lol, old
  • techmaster, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2That picture has absolutely no resemblance to an angel whatsoever, but it definitely has me wanting to put on my pirate costume ASAP. Don't want to upset the flying spaghetti monster!
  • shadowmoose, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Cough cough old.
  • himynameisbob, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I believe.
  • sofaKing812, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1God's in His Heaven, All's Right with the World.
  • Velguard, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0You can clearly see the noodly appendages and everything. Can't wait for that beer volcano and stripper factory!
  • JJayguy23, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I would totally make a Leopard widget out of this site.
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