Discover the cosmosEach day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
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Explanation:Whatdunit?
What disappeared while crossing a partially eclipsed Sun?
Let’s present the evidence.
The 24 frames-per-second video was taken in Spain at 20:28 local time on August 12, 2026.
ThePerseids meteor showerwas at its peak during this time.
Is this ameteor?Meteor showerstrace back to a region of the sky called aradiant pointthat corresponds to where the Earth iscrossing a comet’s path.
The object’s pathmighttrace back to the Perseids’ radiant point in the Perseus constellation.
The object trails a smallerangle on the skythan the 0.5 degree Sun and Moon, which is smaller than expected for a meteor.
Itsbrightnessdoes not extend much past the Sun, but a meteor burning up in the sky would not need sunlight to be seen.
Perhaps the sunlight is reflecting off of the object?
After cross-referencing thelocation, time, and point in the skywith aflight database, the culprit is found to be anairplane contrail
Tomorrow’s picture:another mystery