An interesting phenomenon that will be visible this month is the
zodiacal light. Zodiacal light is a cone shaped glow extending up from the sun after twilight. The best time to see it is late winter in the evening sky and autumn in the morning sky. It is caused by the Sun's light being scattered by dust in the solar system. It is called 'zodiacal' because the glow follows the path of the zodiacal constellations along what is called the ecliptic. If you are in dark skies, look toward the west for the zodiacal light in line with Venus and Mars. An image borrowed from wikipedia is shown below.
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| Zodiacal Light |
If you would like a good introduction, the European Southern Observatory has a great video below.
Zodiacal Light (ESO)A news article from 2015 on space.com describes how to see this phenomenon.
http://www.space.com/28482-zodiacal-light-visibility-space-dust.html
It is very difficult to see so I wish you great luck. If you find yourself away from city lights at sunset this month, take the opportunity to step out and scan the western horizon near Venus and Mars. This phenomenon is also an observation requirement for the Explore the Universe certificate. I hope to have the opportunity to find a dark site to see this amazing light!
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