Pictured above, an unusual triangle of light appears brightly on the left. It’s zodiacal light, sometimes called the false dawn, light reflected from interplanetary dust particles. Its opponent on the right is composed of the faint stars, dust clouds, and nebulae along the plane of our Milky way galaxy.
Other skylights include the constellation Orion, Barnard’s Loop, Rosette nebula, the bright stars Sirius and Canopus, and the Beehive cluster.
In the foreground is the beautiful Lake Yamdrok, known as one of the three sacred lakes at Tibet, China.
Here at EarthSky, we sometimes say that the zodiacal light has a milky appearance like the Milky Way, but is brighter than the actual Milky Way. This photo shows you that’s true.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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