On the Ancient Aliens TV show, a high orbit picture of earth is shown, and a massive contrail thousands of miles is seen, stretching pole to pole. What is this photo, I can't find it online?
Executive summary
The image shown on Ancient Aliens appears to be the viral 2018 “pole‑to‑pole contrail” captured on Google Earth and promoted by UFO YouTuber SecureTeam10; commentators claimed it spanned roughly 12,000–13,000 miles from Antarctica to the North Pole [1] [2]. Mainstream coverage traced the image to Google Earth/Worldview screenshots and internet conspiracy discussion — not to a named NASA press release or peer‑reviewed paper — and authoritative explanations of long sinuous cloud features and contrails on satellite imagery exist but are not explicitly tied to this specific screenshot in the available reporting [1] [3] [4].
1. The viral image and where you saw it
The clip on Ancient Aliens mirrors a widely circulated 2018 discovery: a straight white line visible on global satellite imagery that SecureTeam10 and other UFO channels described as a contrail running from Antarctica to the North Pole, roughly 12,000–13,000 miles long [5] [1] [2]. News outlets and blogs republished the claim after the YouTube video brought attention to a Google Earth / satellite image screenshot rather than an identified, timestamped scientific photo release [1] [6].
2. What the promoters claimed — and why the numbers sound extraordinary
Promoters argued the streak could not be an ordinary contrail because contrails typically last minutes to, at most, a few hours; they calculated that sustaining a single contrail pole‑to‑pole would require travel at hypersonic speeds (Mach ~30) inconsistent with known aircraft, and therefore posited a UFO or exotic technology [7] [8]. Those dramatic speed-based conclusions are rooted in literal interpretations of contrail lifetime and the apparent straight‑line length shown in the screenshot [7] [8].
3. How professional sources explain long cloud lines on satellite imagery
Scientists and satellite analysts document many natural and human causes for long, linear cloud patterns: persistent contrails that spread, ship tracks, long sinuous cloud bands seen by NASA’s Terra and GOES satellites, and atmospheric conditions that create large, seemingly continuous streaks [3] [4] [9]. NASA and meteorological experts have published examples of long, sinuous cloud features and persistent or spreading contrails that can look striking on satellite views even when created by ordinary aircraft or natural atmospheric processes [3] [9].
4. Why the internet gave this image a UFO spin
The original poster — SecureTeam10, a YouTube UFO channel — framed the image as impossible for conventional aircraft, and that framing propagated through tabloids, blogs, and forums, which amplified the most sensational interpretation rather than seeking a primary satellite data source or expert meteorological analysis [1] [6] [2]. Sites that repeated the claim commonly cited the YouTuber rather than a NASA dataset or scientific paper [1] [2].
5. Missing evidence and the limits of current reporting
Available reporting in these sources does not point to an official NASA/NOAA press release or a peer‑reviewed analysis that identifies the exact image file, timestamp, sensor, or processing steps behind the screenshot used in the Ancient Aliens segment; mainstream articles rely on the Google Earth screenshot and commentary from the SecureTeam10 video [1] [2]. Therefore, sources do not confirm the photo’s original instrument, date, or metadata — crucial details needed to move beyond speculation [1] [2].
6. Plausible, less sensational alternatives documented by experts
Published satellite examples show long cloud lines can be created by persistent contrails that spread under favorable humidity, by ship tracks, and by mesoscale atmospheric features; researchers have repeatedly cautioned that viewpoint, image scale, and time sampling can create misleading impressions of continuity and scale on global mosaics [4] [3] [9]. Those documented mechanisms provide credible, conventional explanations that the current reporting does not appear to have ruled out for the image in question [3] [9].
7. Takeaway for viewers: skepticism plus demand for primary data
The footage on Ancient Aliens uses a widely shared Google Earth‑based screenshot popularized by a UFO channel; sensational distance/speed claims stem from taking that image at face value without published metadata or expert analysis [1] [2]. To resolve this definitively one would need the original satellite image file and metadata or a statement from the satellite operator — available sources do not mention those primary data [1] [2].
If you want, I can try to track down the original Google Earth/Worldview screenshot, search for any NASA/NOAA attribution for the specific image, or compile expert meteorological explanations of how long linear cloud features form using the same sources.