images

The zodiacal light

by

J.Lodriguss/Novapix

Reference

a-pas10-00001

Date

2006-11-04

The Zodiacal light is visible here as a triangular-shaped cone of light rising on the left side of the photo and stretching to M44, the Beehive cluster, and Mars, which was next to the Beehive when this photo was taken. The winter Milky Way stretches along the right side of the photo. The Zodiacal light is composed of fine particles of dust in orbit around the sun and is visible because of scattered sunlight from the particles. The glow is brightest toward the sun from particles with diameters between a couple of micrometers and a few millimeters.