With exceptionally clear skies and no Moon it was a good time to capture images of the zodiacal light. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about this astronomical phenomenon.
Zodiacal light is a faint, roughly triangular, diffuse white glow seen in the night sky that appears to extend up from the vicinity of the Sun along the ecliptic or zodiac. It is best seen just after sunset and before sunrise in spring and autumn when the zodiac is at a steep angle to the horizon. Caused by sunlight scattered by space dust in the zodiacal cloud, it is so faint that either moonlight or light pollution renders it invisible.
Zodiacal light in the western sky with faint reflections in Upper Lake Mary.
The image shows the cone of light extending upward from the western horizon. In the upper portion is the Pleiades star cluster and Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is visible as a faint smudge on the right. The zodiacal light is also faintly reflected in the still waters of Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona.
Unedited version of the previous image showing satellite tracks. Zodiacal light in the western sky with faint reflections in Upper Lake Mary.Zodiacal light from 2014–with no satellite tracks.
But this is an edited image because the original was full of satellite tracks (and a few aircraft tracks). The second image is the unedited version. For comparison, an image of the zodiacal light taken in 2014 (before Starlink) shows no satellite tracks at all.
We have had several opportunities in March for good-to-excellent night sky viewing and astrophotography sessions. High on my list was capturing NGC 1499 (“California Nebula”). It resides in the western sky during March and is located near Pleiades but is actually in the constellation Perseus.
The nearly vertical zodiacal light shares the western sky with the winter Milky Way and are faintly reflected in the waters of Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona.
One drawback to observing it in the spring is that there can be interference from zodiacal light. From Wikipedia,
The zodiacal light is a faint glow of diffuse sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust. It appears in a particularly dark night sky to extend from the Sun’s direction in a roughly triangular shape along the zodiac…
…Since zodiacal light is very faint, it is often outshone and rendered invisible by moonlight or light pollution.
I made several attempts at NGC 1499. The first attempt was about as expected as I didn’t actually know where to point the camera so I used a short telephoto focal length (80mm) with a wide field of view (25.3° x 17.0°). Luckily, I pointed it correctly but unluckily I bumped the focus ring and everything had a soft focus. Okay, not a success but not too bad for a first attempt.
First attempt at NGC 1499 (19 March 2025).Third attempt at NGC 1499 (24 March 2025).
On my second attempt I used a longer focal length (180mm) which meant a smaller field of view (11.4° x 13.7°). I had very good focus and other camera settings but managed to actually point it at the wrong object. Instead, I photographed NGC 1579 (“Northern Trifid Nebula”). Oops! But the result was still a success–even if not the object I was seeking.
The third try worked out well. I reverted back to a shorter focal length (85mm) and wider field of view (23.9° x 16.0°) because that might give me a pleasing image with the nebula and neighboring stars. This worked out well except for the previously mentioned zodiacal light. The light was present in the field of view so it was necessary to crop the image to remove the bright band.
I actually prefer the first image as it has better color and less lens flare than the second image.
Finally, I shot images of the zodiacal light using an ultra-wide fisheye lens to capture both the foreground of Upper Lake Mary and the stars and planets up through the zenith. NGC 1499 and NGC 1579 are located to the right of Pleiades but are too small to be visible in this wide view.
The nearly vertical zodiacal light shares the western sky with the winter Milky Way. Annotated to show Pleiades, Jupiter, and Mars. NGC 1499 and NGC 1579 are located to the right of Pleiades.
I have recently started using Siril for my astrophotography processing and have been generally pleased with the results.
There have been few opportunities for capturing night sky objects owing to clouds and the presence of the Moon. That doesn’t stop me from trying.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks and Triangulum Galaxy (M33).
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks and M33 (Triangulam Galaxy).
Clouds, a bright waxing Moon, and some distant light pollution made it difficult to capture this comet. This was taken at the base of Arizona Snowbowl ski area at 2830 m; the elevation helps to get above some of the atmospheric haze.
Sunspots AR3615 and AR3614
Several large sunspots are visible on the face of the Sun (27 March 2024).
Zodiacal Light
Zodiacal light, Jupiter, and Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks (28 March 2024).
While setting up to photograph a launch at Vandenberg SFB (which was scrubbed), I fired off a few test shots of the zodiacal light. In review, I noticed that I also captured Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks. Small–very small–when shot with a 24mm wide-angle lens.
Now, the Moon is out of the way and the forecast indicates a few clear nights so maybe I’ll get another change to shoot some images of the comet.
Venus and the Pleiades star cluster are prominent in the center of the image while Mercury is about to set in the low gap. The zodiacal light is also faintly visible.
Upper Lake Mary, Flagstaff, Arizona; 10 April 2023.
Venus, Mercury, Pleiades, and Zodiacal light all reflected in Lake Mary.
With exceptionally clear skies it was a good time to capture images of the zodiacal light. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about this astronomical phenomenon.
Zodiacal light is a faint, roughly triangular, diffuse white glow seen in the night sky that appears to extend up from the vicinity of the Sun along the ecliptic or zodiac. It is best seen just after sunset and before sunrise in spring and autumn when the zodiac is at a steep angle to the horizon. Caused by sunlight scattered by space dust in the zodiacal cloud, it is so faint that either moonlight or light pollution renders it invisible.
Zodiacal Light. (28mm lens)Zodiacal Light and light pollution. (16mm lens)
Both images above clearly show the cone of light extending upward. In the upper portion of both images is the Pleiades star cluster with the planet Mars just below and to the left.
Light pollution from Phoenix makes star viewing a challenge.
It’s unfortunate that Arizona’s dark skies aren’t as dark as they could be. Increasing population and expanding cities throws more light into the night sky. And our state legislators seem to think that bright billboards are more important than the dark skies needed by the many telescopes located in the state.
