These days, as you look west just after sunset, you may notice a strange glow in the sky, forming a cone of scattered light rising above the horizon. This phenomenon, well known to astronomers, is called the zodiacal light. It is created by the reflection of solar radiation from the myriad dust particles scattered between the planets by comets as they approach our star. In the northern hemisphere, it can be observed from March 9 and again until the 21st or even 24th, when the next lunar cycle begins.
This celestial phenomenon occurs throughout the year, but its observation becomes possible only twice in our latitudes: in spring (at sunset), then in autumn (at dawn) due to the tilt of the Earth relative to the Sun. “Currently, the conditions for observing the zodiacal light are favorable because the moon is not visible at night. Gradually the Sun will set later and later. However, very dark skies are needed to observe this phenomenon.”emphasizes astronomer Miguel Montarges, joined by TF1info.
Where does this dust come from?
Astronomers believe that this dust comes from debris left in the solar system from the fragmentation of Jovian comets (you know, from the Jupiter family, editor’s note). When these celestial bodies pass close to the Sun, the radiation from our star heats them up. These fragments of dust and ice, ranging in size from 0.3 to 10 millimeters, spread around the Sun in the form of a flat disk, which is called the “zodiacal cloud”. “To really understand, what we see in the sky is this disk, seen from the edge, inside which the particles reflect the light of the Sun falling on them, thereby creating this glow.”explains the astronomer.
How to observe this phenomenon?
The zodiacal light is only visible for about 90 minutes after the Sun passes below the horizon. It is almost impossible to see it in an artificially brightly lit urban environment.
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“To watch it, ideally, you need to go to a starry sky reserve, for example, in the Cévennes or near the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, or on the Atlantic coast, but in a place protected from urban light pollution., suggests this specialist. Once there, you will have to look west towards the constellations of the Zodiac. “The planet Venus is currently there, it can serve as a guide,” the astronomer advises.
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Source: TF1