faint night sky phenomena

Gegenschein, Zodiacal Band, Moving Ripples of Airglow and Zodiacal Light

Date:03./04.09.2013 Time:23:23-2:54 UT
Exposure:374 x 30s Field:180o diagonal
Camera:Canon EOS 1Ds Optics:15mm, f/2.8
Place:Lastovo, Croatia Observer:Till Credner

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The first sequence points south and shows the milky way vanishing on the right hand side. But a further diffuse band stretches along the entire field. It is the Zodiacal Band with its brightest patch of the Gegenschein. This is interplanetary dust in the plane of our solar system which is scattering sunlight to Earth. Due to the favoured backscattering, the dust in the antisolar point appears brightest and gives the Gegenschein (counter glow). Very faint green ripples of Airglow move across the field.

The second sequence faces east and shows the rising Zodiacal Light. This is also interplanetary dust which appears bright due to the closer sun and the higher density.

See also:
-further images of the Gegenschein
-further images from Lastovo