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Credit & Copyright: David Lane
Explanation:
What's causing the unusual ray of white light extending upward from the central horizon?
Dust orbiting the Sun.
At certain times of the year, a band of sun-reflecting dust from the inner
Solar System rises prominently before sunrise and is called
zodiacal light.
The dust originates mostly from faint
Jupiter-family
comets and slowly spirals into the
Sun.
Pictured,
in front of the zodiacal light, is a spectacular view of
Horseshoe Bend
of the Colorado River.
Emitted from well behind the
zodiacal light is a spectacular sky that
includes
many bright stars including
Sirius,
several blue star clusters including the
Pleiades, and an assortment of red nebula including
Barnard's Loop in
Orion.
The 30-image composite was taken earlier this month in
nearly complete darkness
only six inches from the edge of a
dangerous cliff.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: zodiacal light
Publications with words: zodiacal light
See also: