A Plane and the Space Station Crossed the Sun in One Rare Photograph
NASA（ナサ）
The U.S. agency that studies air and space.
APOD（エーピーオーディー）
NASA’s page for one space picture each day.
International Space Station（インターナショナル・スペース・ステーション）
A large human-made station in space.
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), a daily space-image feature, presented an unusual photograph on September 22, 2026. A plane and the International Space Station (ISS) appear as dark shapes against the Sun. Sunspots are also visible. The image was taken in June from Prasek, Czech Republic, by photographer Petr Horalek.
What happened
Horalek planned to capture the moment when the ISS crossed in front of the Sun. NASA’s caption says he planned the timing with sub-second precision. During the exposure, an airplane crossed part of the Sun too. The airplane was not planned. It added an unexpected third silhouette.
The ISS appears as a small dark structure near the middle-left of the image. The airplane creates another dark shape. The Sun’s bright disk remains behind both objects. This is why the photograph looks like three separate events happened together.
The background
NASA describes sunspots as small dark regions on the bright solar disk. They are caused by concentrated magnetic fields. Sunspots can last for weeks. The spots in this photograph were already visible before the picture was taken. They were expected features, not the surprise in the image.
The APOD explanation also helps separate planning from chance. The photographer could wait for the station’s predicted passage. He could not choose when an airplane would cross the same view. The photograph records both events during one exposure.
Why it matters
This is not a report of a new planet or star. Its value comes from the combination of precision and accident. One part of the picture depended on careful timing. Another part happened without warning.
The objects only appear aligned from the photographer’s viewpoint on Earth. The image does not mean that the airplane and the space station met. It shows that different objects entered the same line of sight. That distinction is important when we read any photograph of the sky.
What NASA confirms
NASA’s official description confirms several details. The photograph was taken in June at Prasek in the Czech Republic. The station crossing was planned with timing below one second. The airplane crossing was unexpected. The photographer estimated that a random Sun image from that location had about a one-in-30-million chance of showing both silhouettes.
That figure is an estimate from the photographer. NASA does not present it as a universal probability. It applies to the stated location and shooting situation, not to every solar photograph everywhere.
What remains unknown
The short APOD caption does not give the exact time of day. It does not identify the airplane model. It also leaves out the camera, exposure settings, and the number of attempts. The method behind the probability estimate is not explained either.
Without those details, readers cannot judge how the estimate was calculated. They also cannot know how often a similar alignment might happen at another place or under different conditions.
What to watch next
The next useful details would be the photographer’s exact timing, camera information, and probability method. If those details are published, readers could better understand what the one-in-30-million estimate includes.
For now, the confirmed story is already striking: a planned station crossing and an accidental airplane crossing appeared with known sunspots in one photograph. The original image and explanation are available on theNASA APOD page.
A Plane Joined a Planned Space Station Photo
📰 Full story: A Plane and the Space Station Crossed the Sun in One Rare Photograph
NASA shared a rare picture of two objects crossing the Sun.
NASA（ナサ）
The U.S. space agency.
APOD（エーピーオーディー）
NASA’s daily space-picture page.
sunspot（サンスポット）
A darker-looking region on the Sun.
💡 The gist
- A photographer planned to catch the space station.
- A plane crossed the Sun at the same time.
- Sunspots were visible in the background.
What the picture shows
NASA, the United States space agency, shared the picture. It appeared on Astronomy Picture of the Day, or APOD.
The Sun fills the image. Dark sunspots mark its bright surface. The International Space Station, or ISS, appears as a small dark shape. It sits near the middle-left. A plane appears as another dark shape.
The objects look lined up from Earth. They are not touching each other. They only appear together in the camera’s view.
How it happened
Photographer Petr Horalek took the picture in June. He worked in Prasek, Czech Republic. He planned to catch the ISS crossing the Sun.
NASA says he planned the timing below one second. This means he waited for a very precise moment. Then a plane crossed the Sun during the exposure. The plane was not part of the plan.
It added the surprising third shape. The space station crossing was planned. The airplane crossing was accidental.
Why this is unusual
A space station crossing needs careful timing. A photographer must wait for the right moment. A plane is much harder to predict for this picture.
Both crossings happened in one view. That made the photograph extremely rare. NASA’s caption says the photographer estimated the chance at about one in 30 million.
That number is only an estimate. It describes a random Sun picture from that location. It is not a rule for every place on Earth.
What we still do not know
The caption does not name the airplane. It does not give the camera details. It also does not explain the probability calculation.
More information could show how the estimate was made. The original picture and explanation are on theNASA APOD page.
A Plane Flew Across the Sun Too
📰 Full story: A Plane and the Space Station Crossed the Sun in One Rare Photograph
A plane and a space station appeared in one picture.
NASA（ナサ）
The U.S. group that studies space.
APOD（エーピーオーディー）
NASA’s page for a space picture each day.
International Space Station（インターナショナル・スペース・ステーション）
A place where people work in space.
NASA, the group that studies space, shared a picture.
NASA put it on APOD, its daily space-picture page.
First, look at the Sun. Dark spots are on it. These are sunspots.
Now look in front of the Sun. The International Space Station is there. It is a space station for people. A photographer waited for it. The photographer knew when it would pass.
Then a plane flew across the Sun. Nobody planned the plane. So the picture caught two dark shapes. One was the space station. One was the plane.
They only looked lined up in the picture. They did not bump together. The picture was taken in Prasek, Czech Republic. It was taken in June. NASA says this picture was very rare.
You can see it onNASA’s APOD page.