Everything we know about the first day of the papal conclave 04:53. Black smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday and again Thursday morning indicated that a new pope had not yet ...

If the smoke is white, it means a new pope has been selected by a two-thirds majority. One hundred thirty-five cardinals are eligible to vote, according to the Vatican.

The black and white smoke that emerges from the Sistine Chapel during a papal conclave is part of a longstanding tradition — although it's no longer just ballots that get burned ...

Black smoke rises from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, on March 13, 2013. CREDIT: Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images. picture alliance What makes smoke white?