Geminid and Zodiacal Light

January 01, 2005

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Provided and copyright by: Mike O'Leary
Summary authors & editors: Mike O'Leary

This is an image of the Zodiacal Light, with an impressive meteor from the annual Geminid Meteor Shower on the left of the frame. The image was taken from Mt Laguna, California at 5:00 a. m. (local time). Zodiacal Light consists of dust particles in space, which are illuminated by the Sun along the ecliptic, the plane of the Earths orbit around the Sun. It's most easily observed seen just after sunset in the late winter and before sunrise in late summer. The Geminid Meteor Shower occurs each December - the peak activity this past December occurred December 13 and 14.

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