If you have a very good horizon in the west where the Sun sets we are approaching the time of the year when it might be possible to see the Zodiacal Light. The sky does have to be very dark and clear.
The zodiacal light is a cone of eerie light that can be seen in the sky just after the evening twilight ends in the spring, or before it begins at dawn in the autumn. These are periods during the year close to the equinoxes where the period of daylight and night-time are equal.
The best time to look for the zodiacal light this year will be the first two weeks in March. Although the spring equinox is not until March 20th the Moon will be nearly full making the sky too bright.
People used to think zodiacal light originated somehow from phenomena in Earth’s upper atmosphere.
However today we know that the zodiacal light is produced as sunlight is reflected off dust grains that circle the sun in the inner solar system. These grains were once thought to be left over from the process that created our Earth and the other planets of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago.
Today some astronomers believe that the grains of dust may have been blown into space during massive dust storm from the planet Mars.
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