"Plume" is a term that botanists use to describe parts of a plant that resemble a feather. This term is applied to blooms, foliage and part of a seed.
Hot melted rock moves from the core of the Earth through the mantle to the Earth's crust. When this molten rock forms a column, it is known as a plume. Gas plumes come out of volcanoes. This type of plume also occurs on other geologically active planets. Agates are a form of chalcedony, a semiprecious stone with bands of color that vary. A particular type of agate is the plume agate, which occurs with inclusions resembling a flower, feather or plant.
Feathers are used by milliners to decorate helmets or hats. The large feather plumes can be made of multiple feathers or a single one. Feather plumes also are used to decorate other objects, such as clothing, jewelry, masks and hair adornments.
Plumes can form in certain kinds of weather. Plumes of smoke occur during a wildfire, plumes of water form in the tropics, and plumes of dust or sand form in dry areas such as deserts.
An electric power plant using water as a cooling agent releases water vapor. When this white exhaust moves up from the plant's chimney, it is considered a pure water vapor plume.
A plume was produced on the moon when the spacecraft LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) impacted the surface as part of an experiment to study the planet's surface. The Hubble spacecraft provided images of the Orion Nebula revealing gas plumes. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's research on Mars revealed that planet's atmosphere included methane gas plumes. The Cassini spacecraft returned images of a plume made of water vapor and ice on Saturn's moon Enceladus.