Time is Right to See the Zodiacal Light

Time is Right to See the Zodiacal Light

Time is Right to See the Zodiacal Light
By Geoff Gaherty
Starry Night Education
posted: 16 September 2009
08:28 am ET

One of the least known components of our solar system is the interplanetary dust that fills the disk in which the inner planets revolve. These microscopic dust particles can be seen only under special circumstances. They are very small and very few and far between, but numerous enough to cause most of the meteors that we see streaking through the night skies.

They are also visible en masse as a faint haze along the ecliptic really dark nights, known as the zodiacal light.

The zodiacal light is brightest when we look towards the sun — when it's not up. The best times of the night are just after evening twilight and just before morning twilight, but even then the light is hard to see. Chances improve at certain times of year when the ecliptic is nearly vertical in the sky, particularly September and October in the morning and February and March in the evening.

This week we enter the first of two viewing windows for the zodiacal light in the morning sky. For the next two weeks, it will be visible about half an hour before the beginning of morning twilight, forming a huge dim cone of light in the eastern sky.

www.space.com...

What a wondrous week in the skies above! a great time to plan those outdoor rendezvous under the covers with a big bag of popcorn and your favorite person or people!

Check out my other thread telling you to watch the skies on 9-21-09
www.abovetopsecret.com...&addstar=1&on=7128141#pid7128141


With so much happening in the world isn't it a miracle that we can just lay down the stresses of the day, kick back and enjoy something that makes us marvel with renewed enthusiasm for the wonders of the world we live in just as when we were kids?

I wonder if anyone has the abilty to get some photos of this for us??? Please? I will try but my camera does not have a very powerful zoom...

Well I went out this morning and did not see it, I do however have one of those stupid yard lights that kind of cut the ability to see the subtle.

I will try again tonight at dusk, but wonder does that mean I will now have to look towards the west?

I want to see it!