It's pretty impressive from here, too. Since it is sunlight scattered by dust in the plane of the ecliptic, it follows that it is most visible when the ecliptic forms the greatest angle with respect to the horizon- spring and fall in the northern hemisphere. The last time I saw it, and one of the most impressive apparitions, was when I was shooting Hale-Bopp in the spring of '97 (has it really been over 9 years??). As I was wrapping-up my session early one evening, I remember thinking "I really should try and see the Zodiacal light while I'm out here." I turned around from the car and faced west- BAM! There it was! Nothing subtle about it, it was obvious, tremendous. A huge, tapering sword of light ascending to the heavens- your description is right-on. And this was just north of I-80, near the second Grantsville exit, just a few miles from the Tooele valley/Skull valley border. Not even at a remote site. --- Rob Ratkowski Photography <ratkwski@hawaii.rr.com> wrote:
late September and late April are tops. The ZL looks like a sword piercing the night sky, very impressive.
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