April 23, 2024
The atoms in your body have known many forms: star core, drifting dust, ocean mineral, living cell.
Contrail Shadow X
Birthday · April 23, 2024
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APOD published April 23, 2024. Credit: Fatih Ekmen. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
What created this giant X in the clouds? It was the shadow of contrails. When airplanes fly, humid engine exhaust may form water droplets that might freeze in Earth's cold upper atmosphere. These persistent streams of water and ice scatter light from the Sun above and so appear bright. These contrails cast long shadows. That was just the case over Istanbul, Türkiye, earlier this month. Contrails occur all over planet Earth and, generally, warm the Earth when the trap infrared light but cool the Earth when they efficiently reflect sunlight. The image was taken by a surprised photographer in the morning on the way to work.
Image credit: Fatih Ekmen