A Contrail

When we owned the Ferry Stores in Kilchoan, before bed each night I would go out and check that everything was okay in the shop. This wasn't onerous as we lived next door but I couldn't do this, night after night, without beginning to take an interest in the night sky.

Over the years we witnessed some wonderful sights, including the most spectacular aurora we have ever seen and....

....phenomena such as comets, shooting stars, satellites, moondogs and moonbows.

By the time we sold the shop, going outside each evening to look at the sky had become a habit which has continued ever since. Last night, when I went out as usual, the most noticeable thing was....

....the moon, one day past full, but just below it was a something which, a year ago, one wouldn't have remarked on: a contrail.

A quick check on FlightRadar24 showed that this was an Atlas Air Boeing 747 freight flight from Cologne to Indianapolis, but what was also interesting was the complete lack of other flights in the air over Scotland at the time. How things have changed!