zodiacal light

American  

noun

1. a luminous tract in the sky, seen in the west after sunset or in the east before sunrise and thought to be the light reflected from a cloud of meteoric matter revolving round the sun.

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zodiacal light British  

noun

1. a very faint cone of light in the sky, visible in the east just before sunrise and in the west just after sunset. It is probably due to the reflection of sunlight from cosmic dust in the plane of the ecliptic

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zodiacal light Scientific  

/ zō-dī′ə-kəl /

1. A faint hazy cone of light, often visible in the west just after sunset or in the east just before sunrise, and elongated in the direction of the ecliptic on each side of the Sun. It is apparently caused by the reflection of sunlight from meteoric particles in the plane of the ecliptic.

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Etymology

Origin of zodiacal light

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

Under especially dark skies, sunlight scattered by this dust can be seen shortly after sunset or before sunrise as a faint glow called zodiacal light.

From Science Daily

Still, severe breakdown has reduced that dust in size so much that it now scatters sunlight efficiently, causing the faint glow in the night sky known as the "zodiacal light."

From Science Daily

Cosmic dust was known to exist in interstellar space for more than a century, supplementing the solar system dust—known from its reflected sunlight, which is observed as zodiacal light.

From Scientific American

The satellite also caught images of zodiacal light, which reflects off faint interplanetary dust that is usually obscured by the brightness of the sun.

From Washington Times

Three other satellites included one that aims to study zodiacal light and image the Milky Way, officials said.

From Seattle Times