Would a flying superhuman leave a contrail behind?

I'm writing a speculative fiction story that includes superhumans, and I'm trying to get some of the specifics nailed down. Several of my superhumans have the typical powers of flight, usually able to break the sound barrier but not exceeding Mach 5. They'll fly everywhere from ground level to about 10 km above the ground.

I'm trying to determine if they'll leave a contrail behind them as they fly through the atmosphere. From my preliminary research on contrails (thank you, Wikipedia) I've learned that these are produced by either the condensation of warm CO₂ and H₂O or by pressure changes. My superhumans don't use combustion to fly, so it seems like the only way contrails could form would be via pressure differentials created by flying at supersonic speeds.

Would a superhuman flying through the air leave a contrail behind? If so, would it be permanent or under what conditions (speed, altitude) would this occur?

Edit: This question is specifically about the movement of a (human) body through the atmosphere under the defined circumstances, not how such movement might occur or the ramifications of such movement on clothes etc.

Bounty edit: I'm offering a bounty because the current answers, while helpful, don't provide actual estimates for the environmental conditions and velocities required to create a contrail. I'm aware that it's possible to create a contrail by passing a body through air fast enough under the right conditions, but my question is whether a Mach 5 superhuman would do so near ground level and in the mid-troposphere.

Bounty award I'm giving the bounty to Slipoch, but not the green check mark. If somebody's able to answer the question and provide estimates of the speeds and environmental conditions required, I'll contribute a larger bounty for an exemplary answer.

posted almost 6 years ago

Dubukay‭

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