Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.<\/p>\n
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Explanation: Whatdunit? What disappeared while crossing a partially eclipsed Sun? Let\u2019s present the evidence. The 24 frames-per-second video was taken in Spain (40\u00b034'30.3"N 1\u00b012'28.8"W) at 20:28 local time on August 12, 2026. The Perseids meteor shower was at its peak during this time. Is this a meteor? Meteor showers trace back to a region of the sky called a radiant point that corresponds to where the Earth is crossing a comet\u2019s path. The object\u2019s path might trace back to the Perseids\u2019 radiant point in the Perseus constellation. The object trails a smaller angle on the sky than the 0.5 degree Sun and Moon, which is smaller than expected for a meteor. Its brightness does 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 the location, time, and point in the sky with a flight database, the culprit is found to be an airplane contrail!Tomorrow's picture: another mystery<\/p>\n