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.
2023 December 4
Plane Crossing Crescent Moon
Image Credit & Copyright:
Juned Patel
Explanation:
No, the Moon is not a bow, and no, it did not shoot out a plane like an arrow.
What is pictured is a chance superposition.
The plane’s
contrail would normally appear white,
but the large volume of air toward the rising Sun preferentially knocked away blue light, not only making the
sky blue,
but giving the reflected trail a bright
red hue.
Far in the distance, well behind
the plane, the
crescent Moon also appears slightly reddened.
Captured early last month from
Bolton,
UK,
the featured image was taken so soon after sunrise that the plane
was sunlit from below, as was its contrail.
Within minutes, unfortunately, the impromptu sky
show ended.
The plane moved out of sight.
The Moon
kept rising but became harder to see through a brightening sky.
And the
contrail gradually dispersed.
Tomorrow’s picture: powerful ray
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