Zodiacal light

Zodiacal light is a faint diffuse glow along the zodiac, produced as sunlight scatters from interplanetary dust concentrated near the plane of the Solar System.

Interplanetary dust: Small solid particles orbiting the Sun between the planets. These particles scatter sunlight to produce the glow.
Zodiacal band: A faint band of light tracing the zodiac, formed by sunlight scattered from interplanetary dust. It is the broadest visible expression of the dust cloud's concentration near the ecliptic.
Asteroid belt: A region of small bodies orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. Collisions among asteroids supply some of the interplanetary dust.
Night-sky brightness: The brightness of the night sky from natural and human-made sources. Zodiacal light is a major natural contribution to the dark-sky background.
Aurora: A luminous atmospheric display caused by charged particles interacting with a planet's magnetic environment. Its variable curtains contrast with the smooth, sunlight-scattered zodiacal glow.
Mie scattering: The scattering of electromagnetic waves by particles comparable in size to their wavelengths. It describes how sunlight interacts with many zodiacal dust grains.
False dawn: The triangular glow of zodiacal light seen before sunrise in a dark sky. Its name captures the pre-dawn appearance of the phenomenon.
Comet: An icy small Solar System body that releases gas and dust when heated near the Sun. Comets continually replenish dust that can contribute to the zodiacal cloud.
Extragalactic background light: The cumulative light from all extragalactic sources across cosmic history. Zodiacal foreground light must be separated from this faint cosmic signal.
Comet tail: A stream of gas and dust extending from a comet under solar heating and radiation pressure. A comet tail is tied to one active body, unlike the diffuse Solar System dust cloud.

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