Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Roseburg shooting victim describes gunman's rampage ... Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... Roseburg shooting victim describes gunman's rampage ... Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... Looking Up: Looking for the zodiacal light Comment By Peter Becker More Content Now MailTribune.com By Peter Becker More Content Now Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Peter Becker More Content Now Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News All too often we must be content with a sky compromised by light pollution. Fortunately you still enjoy much of the sky not far from the cities, and even from the city you can see the bright stars, planets and Moon. Be thankful if you have a good, dark rural sky, or can travel to see it. From a reasonably dark site, when the moon is not around, look for the faint tapestry of light that joins the starry host. It has been said that most Americans have never seen the Milky Way Band. This is not surprising, and it isn’t just because most people live in congested areas where there is more light pollution. If the sky is good and clear, prepare by letting your eyes adjust to the dark for a few minutes. Then look up and see if you can see the dim, billowing Milky Way Band. While more prominent in the summer evening sky, you also can see the band in the winter. In March, the Milky Way stretches from the south-southeast, passing to the northwest. The bright winter constellation Orion, marked by its famous “belt” of three stars, is immediately right of the Milky Way Band. Nearly overhead, the bright yellow star Capella is right in the Milky Way. The zodiacal light is about as bright as the Milky Way Band. This phenomena is much closer to home, being a cloud of tiny dust particles encircling the sun, spread beyond the Earth’s orbit and in the same plane as the Earth and other planets. It is dimly visible from a dark site, just after evening twilight in the west, or before morning twilight in the east. Late winter and early spring evenings are favored for seeing the evening zodiacal light, in the Northern Hemisphere. This is because the narrow path of the planets, known as the “ecliptic” and sometimes as the “zodiac” is steeper with respect of the west horizon this time of year. The zodiacal light then “stands up” the straightest, further away from the horizon where the Earth’s atmosphere is thickest. Stars, the Milky Way and zodiacal light are much harder to see near the horizon, even at a dark site; in addition, any light pollution from a distant town will wipe it out close to the ground. Note that the zodiacal light appears as a dim cone of light, broader near the bottom. I have not had the opportunity to see this phenomena from home, given the amount of light pollution, but I had a wonderful view a few years ago looking from an airliner far above ground haze and streetlights. With a jacket pulled over my head, I could plainly see the cone of light reaching up and was surprised at how bright it was. Much harder to see than the zodiacal light is the continuation of this glow, which stretches completely around the sky. At a very dark site, at around midnight and when the ecliptic is high up, it is possible to barely detect a slight brightening of this ghostly band of solar system dust, a fuzzy oval of light known as the Gegenschein. Ideal conditions are needed to successfully detect it. The Milky Way Band must not be in the vicinity, as this is enough to hide the overlapping Gegenschein. Around midnight in late winter may be a good time, if you look about half way up in the south. This oval is slightly more luminous than the rest of the almost invisible band, because it is directly opposite the sun and each dust particle is facing you in “full phase” in the same way the moon is brightest when full. First-quarter moon is on March 27. Keep looking up! By Peter Becker More Content Now MailTribune.com By Peter Becker More Content Now Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501