The Case of the Mysterious Maybe Meteor

Whatdunit? What disappeared while crossing a partially eclipsed Sun?

Let’s present the evidence. 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’s path. The object’s path might trace back to the Perseids’ radiant point in the Perseus constellation.

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!