Dust off your Winter blues and welcome Spring with an incredible light show coming to skies later this month. The zodiacal lights will peak [1] from March 14 to 28, and it's a sight you want to see at least once in your life.
Don't know what the zodiacal lights are? Let's break it down for you.
- What is it? The zodiacal lights appear to us as a pyramid-like glow coming up from the western horizon. However, it's actually "sunlight reflecting off of dust grains [2] that circle the sun in the inner solar system."
- It has two names: In the Autumn, this phenomenon is called false dawn. In the Spring, it's called elusive dusk. Why? You can see the zodiacal lights before sunrise and after sunset, respectively.
- See it right after sunset: To catch the zodiacal lights, wait an hour after sunset. You can see it form and hover above the western horizon for about an hour.
- You don't need a telescope: Unlike other celestial events, you don't need a telescope to see this one. You do, however, need to get away from city lights as much as possible and go to a dark area.
- This is the best time to see it in the Spring: The zodiacal lights will peak March 14 to 28, giving you two weeks to catch it.
If you're not much of an early riser or like this time of year when it's not too hot or cold, don't miss you chance to see the zodiacal lights.
