NASA · Space

Zodiacal Light Captured Over Ladakh

A luminous band of zodiacal light, also known as the false dawn, was captured in a night sky photograph taken in India's Hanle Dark Sky Reserve.

The image was recorded just before astronomical twilight during a star party at the remote reserve, which is situated at an altitude of about 4,500 meters and is known for its dark skies.

During the observation, meteors were visible, and the bright planet Jupiter appeared near the eastern horizon within the faint zodiacal glow.

Following the zodiacal band towards the zenith revealed the open star cluster M44 and the yellowish planet Mars.

Recent findings from NASA's Juno spacecraft suggest that Mars may be the source of the interplanetary dust responsible for creating zodiacal light by back-scattering sunlight visible from Earth.

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