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The Gegenschein

The Gegenschein, or counterglow, is visible here, just below the center of the image and to the lower left of the circlet of Pisces. It can be seen as a large diffuse oval area of very faint light just above the brightness of the sky background. Hold your mouse cursor over the image to see its location among the constellations and identifications of objects in the frame.

The Zodiacal light and Gegenschein are made of very small particles of dust that orbit the Sun in the plane of the Ecliptic. These particles are created by asteroid collisions and comets.

The Gegenschein is at the anti-solar point, directly opposite the Sun in the sky, and is brighter because of backscatter.

Exposure Data
  • Lens: Nikon 24mm f/2 Lens
  • F/stop: f/2.8
  • Focal Length: 24mm
  • Exposure: Composite of 2 x 5 minute exposures
  • Mount: Losmandy GM100EQ polar aligned German-equatorial mount
  • Guiding:None
  • Camera: Canon EOS 20Da DSLR
  • Mode: Raw
  • ISO: 1600
  • White Balance: Custom
  • In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off
  • Filter: None
  • Temp: 42F
  • Date:September 20, 2009
  • Start Time: 1:24 a.m. EDT
  • Location: Cherry Springs, PA
  • Calibration: Calibrated with darks, bias, and flats, aligned and stacked in Images Plus
  • Processing: White balanced, non-linear curve applied to original raw linear file, black point adjusted, stars masked, background contrast increased, stars reduced in size in Photoshop





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