43.2

Once considered a false dawn, this triangle of light is actually Zodiacal Light, light reflected from interplanetary dust particles. The triangle is clearly visible in the center of the frame taken from the La Silla Observatory in Chile. Zodiacal dust orbits the Sun predominantly in the same plane as the planets: the ecliptic. On the image Zodiacal light is so bright because the dust band is oriented nearly vertical at sunset, so that the thick air near the horizon does not block out relatively bright reflecting dust.