Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 August 1903 — The Zodiacal Light. [ARTICLE]

The Zodiacal Light.

The name of "zodiacal light” has been given to a singular appearance frequently witnessed soon after sunset or Just before sunrise. It may be seen at all seasons of the year in low latitudes and la obviously due to illuminated matter surrounding the son in a very flat or lenticular form, nearly coinciding with the plane of the ecliptic, or, rather, with the sun’a equator. The attention of astronomers waa first directed to it in the year 1683 by Oaaslnl and was long regarded as being the sun’s atmosphere. This idea, It is now .thought, is incorrect, it being generally believed at the present time to consist of an immense assemblage of rocks, sand, cosmlcal dust, fragments of met. al, etc., such as the earth is continually encountering in the form of aerolites or meteorites. It may not be ont of place to mention in this connection that the rings of Saturn are believed to be composed of similar materials.