Zodiacial Light

 

Date:            February 3rd, 2000

Location:      Tucson Arizona - Empire Ranch Observing Site

Equipment:  17mm f4 Tamron lens stopped to f5.6, G11, ST4, TT III

Conditions:   Outstanding - early evening 

Film:            Kodak Ektapress PJ400

Exposure:    10 minutes

Comments:  The horizon is tipped in the picture because the camera was mounted to a piggyback mount on my G11.  You can see Mars near the horizon and Jupiter and Saturn higher in the sky.  The zodiacial light is the wedge shaped misty light coming from the ground in the plane of the ecliptic.  This is actually too wide a lens and it "compresses" the wedge too much.  Last year's 24mm wide angle shot was nicer because of less "compression".  I could see the zodiacial light every night that I went to the Empire Ranch site.