Breakdown: Why you could see a faint light in the night sky

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) -This month you could see a faint low called a gegenschein and its also referred to as a counterglow. This oval patch of faint light is located exactly opposite to the Sun in the night sky. The patch of light is not bright at all in fact it is very faint according to astronomers. The only way to see this light is when there is no moonlight and away from city lights, and with the eyes adapted to darkness.

The gegenschein is lost in the light of the Milky Way in the summer and winter. The best time to see this light is in February, March, April, August, September, and lastly October. The gegenschein and the zodiacal lights are a similar phenomenon but the zodiacal light not restricted to a position opposite the Sun. The spectrum of the gegenschein is similar to that of the Sun, and it is generally believed that it is the result of the reflection of sunlight from meteoric material or other dust in the Earth’s orbital plane.

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