Astronomy Picture Of The Day Explore the cosmos Every day, a new image or photograph of the fascinating universe is presented along with a short explanation by an astronomer. 2021 October 2
A Light and Dusty Night
Image Credit & Copyright: Rodrigo Guerra
Explanation: Venus, a bright evening star, lies near the western horizon of this southern hemisphere's early spring night skyscape. The composite view exposures that track the sky and are fixed in the foreground were created from photos taken September 25, 2015, at Cascavel in south Brazil. Venus is seen in view after sunset. It appears to be surrounded by a cone of Zodiacal light, which is sunlight scattered from dust along its ecliptic line. Zodiacal light can be seen from any hemisphere of Earth. It is visible best after sunset near a spring or autumn equinox. The zodiacal light extends above the sunset at night to reach rich starfields, interstellar dust cloud and the bulge of central Milky Way. You'll find Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to the Sun at 4.37 light years away, as you follow the Milky Way back towards the horizon.
