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Re: (meteorobs) Re: Zodiacal light
Mike Linnolt wrote:
>I have an excellent view of it from here in Hawaii, and I will attempt
>to get some good wide angle shots of it in the future, but it is
>difficult to photograph, due to its diffuse nature.
Mike, you must be in a prime observing spot for frequent observation of the
Zodiacal Band and Gegenschein, too! How often and how well can you see these
features from Haleakala? They are often visible from the few remaining dark
places in the Florida Keys, but from this far north (Boston MA USA) I have
rarely seen the Gegenschein, and almost never seen the Zodiacal Band...
For folks who might wonder, the Gegenschein is a "blob" of very diffuse light
generally seen near the point in the Ecliptic just opposite to where the Sun
lies: thus it's usually best seen around midnight, rather than near twilight.
It is also considerably fainter than the Zodiacal Light Mike describes.
The Zodiacal Band is a faint band of light which follows the Ecliptic all the
way across the sky, and can be seen any dark time of night. But ZB is still
fainter than either the Gegenschein or Zodiacal Light, so you need dark, rural
skies to see it! Both features are caused by light scattered and/or reflected
toward Earth from the Sun by the same interplanetary dust Mike mentions.
All three of these apparitions can provide a very pleasing "visual relief" to
observers during their long meteor-observing vigils under dark skies. :)
Clear skies all!
Lew
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