March is a great time to spot the odd glow of zodiacal light. Here’s how to see it
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Zodiacal light shines low on the horizon after sunset. | Credit: Photo by: Alan Dyer/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Look at the western sky at sunset on the nights surrounding this month’s spring equinox and you may notice a strange column of light stretching from the horizon. Read on to find out how and when to see the zodiac light and what causes this “false dawn” display.
Zodiacal light becomes visible in Earththe sky when sunlight reflects off dust particles concentrated on the ecliptic – the plane that surrounds the sun which hosts the planets of our solar systemaccording to EarthSky.
The tiny debris is thought to have been lost while wandering comets or mass created suite asteroid collisions, although a 2021 study based on data collected by NASA’s Juno spacecraft suggests that March may be the real source of the dusty particles.
The zodiacal light is most visible to viewers in the Northern Hemisphere in the hours after sunset on the nights surrounding the spring equinox (March 20) and before dawn around the autumnal equinox (September 23), when the path of the ecliptic is at its most extreme angle to the horizon. This hazy glow can appear at any time of year for astronomers near the Earth’s equator and is often referred to as “false dusk” or “false dawn,” depending on the time of year.
The Moon will be visibly absent from the sky after sunset on March 7 until a few days after it appears. new moon phase on March 20, presenting ideal conditions for chasing the zodiacal light as the spring equinox approaches and in the nights that follow. No equipment is needed to see this rare natural light show, but you won’t have any luck spotting it in the urban sky.
So, stay away from the artificial city lights over the next few weeks and look west in the hours immediately after sunset. Give your eyes at least 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness, and if you’re lucky, you might spot a pale pyramid of light extending from the horizon.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to share your zodiacal light photos with Space.com readers, please send your image(s), comments, along with your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
