Click your mouse cursor in the image to see a comparison between the two images. Click again to go back to the previous image.
The Gegenschein, or counterglow, is visible here, just below the center of the image and to the lower left of the circlet of Pisces. It can be seen as a large diffuse oval area of very faint light just above the brightness of the sky background. Click your mouse cursor in the image to see its location among the constellations and identifications of objects in the frame.
The Zodiacal light and Gegenschein are made of very small particles of dust that orbit the Sun in the plane of the Ecliptic. These particles are created by asteroid collisions and comets.
The Gegenschein is at the anti-solar point, directly opposite the Sun in the sky, and is brighter because of backscatter.
Exposure Data
Lens: Nikon 24mm f/2 Lens
F/stop: f/2.8
Focal Length: 24mm
Exposure: Composite of 2 x 5 minute exposures
Mount: Losmandy GM100EQ polar aligned German-equatorial mount
Guiding:None
Camera: Canon EOS 20Da DSLR
Mode: Raw
ISO: 1600
White Balance: Custom
In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off
Filter: None
Temp: 42F
Date:September 20, 2009
Start Time: 1:24 a.m. EDT
Location: Cherry Springs, PA
Calibration: Calibrated with darks, bias, and flats, aligned and stacked in Images Plus
Processing: White balanced, non-linear curve applied to original raw linear file, black point adjusted, stars masked, background contrast increased, stars reduced in size in Photoshop
