... Beyond Earth's cone of darkness are backscattering dust particles orbiting the Sun that standout with a diffuse glow called the gegenschein, visible as a faint band rising from the central horizon and passing behind the Moon. ... Visible in the distant sky as the blue dot near the top of the image is the star Sirius , while the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy arches up on the image left and down again on the right. ... Quiz: Astronomy Picture of the Day Caption or Harlequin Novel? ...