Spaced
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/01/05
Posts: 2341
Loc: Tacoma, Washington, USA
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Saturday night I spent at my dark sky site in south central Washington State. I was blessed with very good skies, although quite a bit more humidity than ideal. I cheerfully observed until around 2AM, then to bed.
I got up a few hours later and stepped out of the trailer. I didn't look at a watch, but judging by the position of Orion it was between 5 & 6, PDT. The eastern horizon was ablaze with the most incredible zodiacal light I've ever seen. It was a simply brilliant pyramid, broad at the base and extending up at least 45*. It pointed at the eastern end of the summer Milky Way, which itself seemed almost a continuation of the Z.L. Strung out along the Milky Way, dropping all the way to the western horizon, were the bright constellations I'd been observing earlier.
It was just an unforgettable sight. The location has broad horizons in all directions, and the entire sky was was just this amazing tableau.
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Mike
"Once in a while you can be shown the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right"
- Robt. Hunter
_____________________________
Webster 14.5" f/4.5 "Sugaree"
Megrez II 80 ED Triplet APO "Punk"
Siebert Black Night BVs
8 X 42 Celestron Regals
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AIO
member
Reged: 09/28/08
Posts: 13
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wow!! I have never seen the zodiacal light but it sounds like you were very lucky indeed. That is just awe-inspiring, so see "earth's ring." Must be dark sky site indeed..
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MessierScott
sage
Reged: 06/18/07
Posts: 311
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Sounds like you had a great view of all the "space dust"!
In March, we always get a great display of evening zodiacal light! It's alomst too bright as it washes out some of the western Messiers while we are doing our Marathon!
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Scott Kranz
20-inch f/4.3 Starmaster w/Zambuto mirror
7-inch Starmaster
H-alpha Coronado PST
Denkmeier II binoviewers w/24mm Panoptics
16x80 binos
Astronomical Society of Kansas City
Powell Observatory with 30-inch f/4.9 EQ newtonian
Astronomical League Messier, Meteor, Sunspotter, Asteroid, & Comet Observing Programs Coordinator
ASKC Dark Sky Site
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tigerroach
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/13/08
Posts: 509
Loc: Houston, TX
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Zodiacal light can be surprising at a truly dark-sky site. Sometimes it can actually be a nuisance!
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Brian
TeleVue TV-102, Gibralter alt-az mount
Webster 14.5" f/4.3 truss dob *under construction*
Canon 10x30 & 15x50 IS binocs
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Americal
super member
Reged: 09/14/07
Posts: 145
Loc: Under the L. A. lightdome
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Mike,
Same thing happened to me in the Mojave desert Friday/Saturday. It's usually visible where we observe but I can't remember it being so bright as it was Sat AM. The seeing Friday night just kept getting better and better as the evening ran on. M2 at 300X was absolutely breathtaking. Image quality held up past 450X. That's why I drive 120 miles on the new moon. Worth every inch of the way.
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Tom
Some's good, more's better...too much is just right
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4 1/4" f/5 homebuilt Newt
6" f/8 homebuilt Newt
8" f/5.1 homebuilt Newt
C11 ASGT (no, it's not homebuilt)
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Spaced
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/01/05
Posts: 2341
Loc: Tacoma, Washington, USA
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Quote:
Zodiacal light can be surprising at a truly dark-sky site. Sometimes it can actually be a nuisance!
It obliterated all or mostly all stars. It was brighter than a typical sky above the brightest city.
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Mike
"Once in a while you can be shown the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right"
- Robt. Hunter
_____________________________
Webster 14.5" f/4.5 "Sugaree"
Megrez II 80 ED Triplet APO "Punk"
Siebert Black Night BVs
8 X 42 Celestron Regals
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square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 31559
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Cool. Wish I'd been there.
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Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP/ED80
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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stevecoe
"Astronomical Tourist"
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2862
Loc: Arizona, USA
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As someone said it is best in the Spring when it is seen in constellations that are far from the Milky Way. But I have seen it in the morning in the Fall and it is also excellent. A truly unique sky glow, I love it. I have also found it is quite difficult to photograph. I do have a few shots, but it is tough.
Clear skies to us all;
Steve Coe
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TeleVue 102 refractor on CGEM mount
9.25 inch Celestron SCT
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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nytecam
Postmaster
Reged: 08/20/05
Posts: 5997
Loc: London UK
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Interesting observation that brings back memories of two decades ago on the east coast of England [from Southwold beach] during late August morn with ZL rising over the North Sea - it was so bright it cast a shadow of my hand onto white beach-huts  As it rose further the base appeared to move along the sea horizon northwards until it merged with the first hint of dawn breaking - and why Arab observers of old called the ZL the 'false dawn' 
It was a remarkable hour or so - the Milky Way a 'white-wash' splash across the sky - even a 'twilight' glow where the gibbous moon had already set in the SW some time earlier  Thanks for the memory!
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Nytecam 51N 0.1W
Meade 30cm LX200+ETX-70+e-finder+C8+Ha+CaK PSTs SBIG SGS+homebuilt spectrographs
Starlight SXVF_M9+Lodestar CCDs/Canon 300D DSLR/Hitachi HD+Disgo Video Fun cams
My observatory build-ETX-70 imaging-my videos
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Tom Polakis
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 12/20/04
Posts: 816
Loc: Tempe, Arizona
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Quote:
As someone said it is best in the Spring when it is seen in constellations that are far from the Milky Way.
I awoke to look at the Zodiacal light this past Sunday morning. What I like about the Autumn morning Zodiacal light is that it makes a giant "X" in the sky with the Winter Milky Way. Last Sunday, Canis Minor was framed just below the intersection of the Milky Way and Zodiacal light.
Tom
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Tom Polakis
Tempe, AZ
Visual observing, DSLR photography, lunar & planetary imaging
http://www.pbase.com/polakis/
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Dave Mitsky
Postmaster
Reged: 04/08/02
Posts: 11686
Loc: PA, USA, Planet Earth
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While I was at Cherry Springs State Park last month, the zodiacal light was very prominent. On one exceptionally transparent morning, the gegenschein was easy to see and the zodiacal band was visible.
Dave Mitsky
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Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
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gripweed44
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/12/05
Posts: 955
Loc: PDX
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Rock-n-Roll
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John
Omega Centauri is the finest Globular I have seen with my own eyes.
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Spaced
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/01/05
Posts: 2341
Loc: Tacoma, Washington, USA
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Quote:
Rock-n-Roll
With great light show!
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Mike
"Once in a while you can be shown the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right"
- Robt. Hunter
_____________________________
Webster 14.5" f/4.5 "Sugaree"
Megrez II 80 ED Triplet APO "Punk"
Siebert Black Night BVs
8 X 42 Celestron Regals
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