Starwatch: Sunlight and dust combine to create the soft glow of zodiacal light

Choose the darkest site you can find an hour before dawn twilight to observe one of the more subtle celestial effects

This week, skywatchers can search for one of the more subtle celestial effects. The zodiacal light is the soft glow of sunlight scattered off the interplanetary dust that lies in the plane of our solar system.

The dust itself comes from comets and asteroid collisions.