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Zodiacal Light Phenomenon to Occur Overhead Nightly for 2 Weeks in March

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Tony Maples Photography

 

From March 14-28, 2017, all the entertainment you’ll need will be overhead in the Texas night sky. According to National Geographic, a pyramid-shaped glow from the springtime zodiacal lights will be forming each night on the western horizon. Occurring twice per year (once in the fall time before sunrise and once in the spring just after sunset) this astral phenomenon is a result of sunlight reflecting off dust particles in between the planets of our solar system.

Zodiacal Light Phenomenon to Occur Overhead Nightly for Two Weeks in March

Photo: Wikimedia

At this time of year, this spectacle is known as “elusive dusk,” and during the fall time occurrence it’s referenced as “false down.” For a two-week period, the night sky is brilliantly illuminated, to the point where a telescope isn’t even required to simply witness it. Looking fainter than the Milky Way, onlookers will be able to witness it without visual aids, however, if you have a telescope or even a set of binoculars, this would be a great time to make use of them.

Zodiacal Light Phenomenon to Occur Overhead Nightly for Two Weeks in March

Photo:

Wikimedia

Seen best from the Northern Hemisphere, Texas astrophiles and photography buffs will have a heyday with the happening, as star sightings and epic low-light picture opportunities will be plentiful. At the same time, the equinox arrives on March 20 – marking one of four major shifts in our seasons here on Earth. The globe effectively spins on an axis which is tilted in relation to the sun, allowing each hemisphere to spend a portion of the year closer to it, thereby experiencing warmer temperatures – which you might also experience if you take your honey and a blanket out for a stargazing date during any one of these 14 nights!

Sources:

Country Living

National Geographic