# Why can't you see farts on a cold day? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 2, 2008, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996 "2008-01-02T15:53:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/1 "2008-01-02T15:53:20Z")
I’d imagine that there’s some water vapor sometimes, but either way the gas that’s coming out is going to be warmer than the surrounding atmosphere so shouldn’t there be some sort of condensation or something that allows for a white puff of visability when you fart outside on a cold day? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/2 "2008-01-02T15:54:15Z")
You haven’t been here long enough, I guess. We’ve had threads on just this topic in the past, with claims of visibility. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/3 "2008-01-02T15:55:44Z")
Try dropping your trousers for the experiment. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/4 "2008-01-02T15:56:07Z")
I tried searching first, but as you can imagine searching for farts around here becomes a rather tedious thing after the first thousand threads. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/5 "2008-01-02T16:04:18Z")
I would imagine them not to be quite so moist (under hopeful conditions) as exhaled breaths, due to the larger surface of the lungs. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/6 "2008-01-02T16:08:53Z")
Searching for “visible” and “farts” gives you this 2002 thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=115645&highlight=visible+farts](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=115645&highlight=visible+farts) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/7 "2008-01-02T16:54:53Z")
I think **Mr. Moto** ’s comment is the answer - clothing would dissipate or absorb the vapours. I know that when I’ve been out walking my dog in sub-zero temperature and she’s assumed the position, I’ve seen little puffs of vapour. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/8 "2008-01-02T17:49:36Z")
I know Barbra Streisand recorded a song with the same title as this thread, but I can’t find it on Itunes. Can someone help? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/9 "2008-01-02T18:43:51Z")
Because it was Bette Midler. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/10 "2008-01-02T18:46:14Z")
I can’t see them in _any_ kind of weather. I just can’t bend that far. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/11 "2008-01-02T20:59:09Z")
Fart clouds are not white. They’re green, … in more ways than one. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/12 "2008-01-02T22:02:06Z")
[QUOTE=Shoshana] Because it was Bette Midler. [/QUOTE] I thought it was a movie with Jane Fonda. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@Mike\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Fun)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/13 "2008-01-02T22:47:12Z")
You \*can \* see them. I have both produced and witnessed visible cold weather farts. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/14 "2008-01-02T23:12:34Z")
There are plenty of them walking about around here, any weather! ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2008, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-see-farts-on-a-cold-day/431996/15 "2008-01-03T00:19:37Z")
I can see my dog’s fart puffs, so as mentioned before, it must be the clothing.