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The Zodiacal light is visible here as a large diffuse triangular-shaped cone of light rising along the ecliptic, which is tilted a bit to the right. Its base stretches from Leo on the left to the head of Hydra on the right. It goes up through Cancer and into Gemini where it crosses the Milky Way. The planet Mars was also located in Gemini when this photo was taken. Hold your mouse cursor over the image to see identifications and constellation lines. The Zodiacal light is composed of fine particles of dust in orbit around the Sun. It is visible because of sunlight scattered by the particles. These particles have sizes between a couple of micrometers and a few millimeters. From the mid-northern latitudes, the Zodiacal light is most easily visible from a dark location under clear and transparent skies in September and October, just before the start of morning twilight in the eastern sky, and after the end of evening twilight in the west in February and March. It is best seen at these times of the year because this is when the ecliptic is at its steepest angle to the horizon. Many people confuse the Zodiacal light with twilight since it occurs in roughly the same area of sky, although careful attention to the time of the true end of astronomical twilight will remove any doubt about whether you are seeing the Zodiacal light or the sky brightening from twilight. Exposure Data
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