Zodiacal Light

  

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Zodiacal Light

Definition: Zodiacal Light

Zodiacal Light

Noun

1. A luminous tract in the sky; a reflection of sunlight from cosmic dust in the plane of the ecliptic; visible just before sunrise and just after sunset.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 


Specialty Definition: Zodiacal Light

DomainDefinition

Aerospace

A faint cone of light extending upward from the horizon in the direction of the ecliptic (zodiac). It is seen from tropical latitudes for a few hours after sunset or before sunrise.The spectrum of the zodiacal light is similar to that of sunlight, so it has been suggested that it is due to the scattering of sunlight by extraterrestrial dust particles. Some scattering is also due to electrons. (references)

Geography

White or yellowish light which spreads out, in the night sky, more or less along the zodiac from the horizon on the side on which the Sun is hidden. Source: European Union. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Specialty Definition: Zodiacal light

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The zodiacal light is a faint glow which appears in a band along the ecliptic or zodiac from the vicinity of the Sun. It may be best observed in the western sky in the spring after the sunset twilight has completely disappeared, or in the eastern sky in the autumn just before the morning twilight appears. It is so faint that it is completely masked by moonlight. The zodiacal light decreases in intensity with distance from the Sun, but on very dark nights it has been observed completely around the ecliptic. In fact, the zodiacal light covers the entire sky, being responsible for 60% of the total skylight on a moonless night. There is a slightly increased illumination of the zodiacal light directly opposite the Sun known as gegenschein.

Zodiacal light is produced by sunlight reflecting off of particles of dust present throughout much of the solar system. The amount of material needed to produce the observed zodiacal light is amazingly small; if it were in the form of 1mm particles each with the same reflecting power as Earth's moon each particle would be 5 miles from its neighbours. The material producing the zodiacal light is located in a lens-shaped volume of space centered on the sun and extending well out beyond the orbit of Earth. The gegenschein may be due to the fact that particles directly opposite Earth from the sun would be in full phase.

See also: Optical phenomenon

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Zodiacal light."

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Crosswords: Zodiacal Light

English words defined with "zodiacal light": solar system. (references)

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Commercial Usage: Zodiacal Light

DomainTitle

Books

  • Interplanetary dust and zodiacal light : proceedings of the IAU-Colloquium No. 31, Heidelberg, June 10-13, 1975 (reference)

  • Observing Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, and the Zodiacal Light (reference)

    (more book examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translation: Zodiacal Light

Language Translations for "zodiacal light"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.

Danish

  

zodiakallys. (various references)

   

Dutch

  

zodiakaal licht. (various references)

   

Finnish

  

eläinratavalo. (various references)

   

French

  

lumière zodiacale. (various references)

   

German

  

Zodiakallicht, Tierkreislicht. (various references)

   

Greek 

  

ζωδιακό φως. (various references)

   

Italian

  

luce zodiacale. (various references)

   

Japanese Kanji 

  

黄"光 . (various references)

   

Japanese Katakana 

  

"うどう"う (copper pyrites, fool's gold). (various references)

   

Pig Latin

  

odiacalzay ightlay

   

Portuguese

  

luz zodiacal. (various references)

   

Spanish

  

luz zodiacal. (various references)

   

Swedish

  

zodiakljus. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Anagrams: Zodiacal Light

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Words within the letters "a-a-c-d-g-h-i-i-l-l-o-t-z"

-3 letters: dialogical.

-4 letters: algicidal, glochidia.

-5 letters: agalloch, alogical, cathodal, chilidog, dialogic, gladiola, gladioli, taiglach, thalloid, zodiacal.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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INDEX

1. Definition
2. Crosswords
3. Usage: Commercial
4. Translations: Modern
5. Anagrams
6. Bibliography


  

Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.