Spectacular video

“Comet” over Ausseerland causes astonishment

Impressive pictures of Lake Grundlsee(Bild: Privat)

Videos and photos of the sky above Lake Grundlsee attracted a lot of attention on Thursday afternoon. A glowing ball with a tail could be seen on the horizon. An expert explains what it was.

What is this glowing tail, pictures of which were sent to the "Krone" on Thursday? We asked Michele Salmi, meteorologist at Ubimet: "It is very (very) likely to be the contrail of a passing aircraft at (or shortly after) sunset," he explains.

Sunset intensifies the effect
At sunset, the streak is often particularly bright and beautifully colored. "The reddish rays of the sun at the end of the day can still reach the aircraft and its contrails at altitudes of around eight to ten kilometers, while it is already dark on the ground," explains Salmi. 

Another clue as to why it is probably an airplane: The streak evaporates again relatively quickly, "because although it is still relatively cold at higher altitudes at the moment, it is also particularly dry".