Star gazers: check it out if your skies are clear

ZODIACAL LIGHTS: When the sun does down tonight and the glow of sunset fades away, another glow will take its place--the Zodiacal Lights. If you live in the northern hemisphere, this is the best time of year to see them. They stretch upward from the western horizon forming a pale luminous triangle visible from places with exceptionally dark skies:

When you see Zodiacal Lights, you've seen the backbone of our solar system. Zodical Lights are sunlight reflected from interplanetary dust. The pale glow, therefore, traces the dusty plane through which all planets orbit, known to astronomers as the ecliptic plane. Early spring is the best time to see evening Zodiacal Lights because the ecliptic plane juts over the horizon almost vertically. With no bright moon to interfere until April, now is the time to look!