Topic: False Dawn

[Randall Kayfes]

False Dawn taken September 14, 2013 04:53 AM from the Sonora Desert of Marana, Arizona, USA overlooking the Santa Catalina Mountains. The f 3.5, 30 sec, 28 mm photo was processed for white balance and noise reduction only otherwise out of the camera.

False Dawn is sunlight reflecting off dust grains that circle the sun in the inner solar system. These dust grains in space spread out from the sun in the same flat disc of space inhabited by Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and the other planets in our sun’s family. This flat space around the sun – the plane of our solar system – translates on our sky to a narrow pathway called the ecliptic. This is the same pathway traveled by the sun and moon as they journey across our sky.

[DanS]

I've been watching for another glimpse at one of those over here. I've seen just one (so far) and it stretched from the eastern horizon, up overhead, and a good ways to the west. It was so dim that I almost didn't notice. It may have been what's called a "Gegenschein" or anti-solar.
Not an easy shot to find, nice catch! I see you caught Mars and Jupiter as well.

[Randall Kayfes]

Yes Jupiter, Mars and Messier Object 44 were all bonuses.
This mornings pic was zoomed out a little more and I was fighting horizon based lightning

[DanS]

cool, was that also 30 sec, F3.5, and around 5AM?

[Randall Kayfes]

I believe this was 31 seconds F3.5 at 18 MM at about 4:50 AM, anything later and astronomical twilight interferes
I found my remote so today's pictures were much more steady but the seeing was not quite up to par with yesterday. 
I have nothing quicker than F3.5 and it is my cheap lens but glass is expensive!
One of these days I will get them all down at the same time.

[Maumelle Weather]

Totally cool shot. Something I've never seen here.

[mcrossley]

Some nice shots of zodiacal light (I think). As you say caused by dust in the ecliptic plane of the solar system. It is due to forward scattering of sunlight when the nearby Sun is below the horizon around dawn and dusk. Gegenschien is at the anti-solar point in the sky, caused by back scattering of sunlight from the same dust, so is high in the sky at midnight. I have only seen Gegenschien a couple of times, and mistook it for a small cloud at first, but it moved with the stars! The Gegenschien tends to have a bright central patch and fainter 'arms' extending along the ecliptic. When I saw it only the central bright patch was visible to the naked eye.

Beautiful skies you have there, I am very envious

Mark - in a cloudy damp UK.

[Randall Kayfes]

Mark I know your pain I lived in the very soggy Willamette Valley of Oregon USA.  The marine clouds stick so low to the ground their is no definition to the sky. I do not miss that...