Zodiacal Light & Milky Way Galaxy: View from Death Valley, California
Astrophotographer Chris Cook: "Gazing at the western night sky on December evenings from a Bortle 1-2 location, you can see the setting summer Milky Way and the zodiacal light make a large letter ‘V’. The zodiacal light is the faint wedged shape glow of dust particles along the ecliptic that are being illuminated by the Sun."
What's that strange light?
Dust orbiting the Sun. At certain times of the year, a band of sun-reflecting dust from the inner Solar System appears prominently just after sunset—or just before sunrise—and is called zodiacal light. Although the origin of this dust is still being researched, a leading hypothesis holds that zodiacal dust originates mostly from faint Jupiter-family comets and that it slowly spirals into the Sun.
Dust orbiting the Sun. At certain times of the year, a band of sun-reflecting dust from the inner Solar System appears prominently just after sunset—or just before sunrise—and is called zodiacal light. Although the origin of this dust is still being researched, a leading hypothesis holds that zodiacal dust originates mostly from faint Jupiter-family comets and that it slowly spirals into the Sun.
Image Credit: Chris Cook
Image Details: Modified Canon 6D, Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 lens
Chris' website: https://www.cookphoto.com
Location: Death Valley, California, United States
Release Date: Dec. 11, 2025
Chris' website: https://www.cookphoto.com
Location: Death Valley, California, United States
Release Date: Dec. 11, 2025
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