Zodiacal, << zoh DY uh kuhl, >> light is a cone-shaped glow of faint light that is seen soon after twilight and just before dawn. The zodiacal light is brightest near the sun and shades off gradually. It can easily be traced halfway across the sky. It brightens again in an area just opposite the sun called the Gegenschein, which means counterglow. The zodiacal light is so named because it is seen against the zodiacal constellations that lie along the ecliptic, the sun’s apparent path through the sky in relation to other stars. The accepted explanation of the light is that large numbers of small particles of material scattered about the inner solar system reflect sunlight and become visible when the sky is dark. These dust particles are believed to be debris from comets and asteroids.
