Have you ever looked up at the night sky and noticed a faint glow, gracefully extending from the horizon in a triangular shape? This enchanting phenomenon is known as zodiacal light, often referred to as “false dawn” when it’s visible just before sunrise. While it may seem like a mere trick of the light, the zodiacal light holds a fascinating story about the universe surrounding our planet.

The Science Behind Zodiacal Light

Zodiacal light is the result of sunlight scattering off interplanetary dust, creating a delicate illumination in the night sky. This dust resides in a thick, pancake-shaped cloud known as the zodiacal cloud, which orbits in the ecliptic plane of our Solar System. Ranging from 10 to 300 micrometers in size, these tiny particles have masses that can span from one nanogram to several micrograms. Together, they contribute to what we see as a soft glow, complementing the natural light of a moonless night.

Interestingly, zodiacal light can be seen most effectively in dark locations, far away from the interference of city lights or moonlight. When conditions are perfect—a clear night with minimal light pollution—this soft glow stretches from the direction of the Sun, gracefully illuminating the darker parts of the sky. It’s most prominent in the western sky during spring after sunset and in the eastern sky during autumn before dawn.

The Origins of Cosmic Dust

The source of the dust that creates zodiacal light has long been a subject of exploration and debate. Initially thought to originate from active comet tails or collisions among asteroids, recent research suggests that a significant portion of the dust comes from the gradual fragmentation of dormant comets, specifically those in the Jupiter-family category.

When comets break apart, they send tiny fragments scattering through space. As these particles eventually disintegrate further due to collisions and space weathering, they continue to replenish the zodiacal dust cloud. This dynamic relationship ensures that our view of zodiacal light is not just a fleeting moment, but a persistent feature of our cosmic environment.

Viewing Zodiacal Light: Tips and Tricks

To catch a glimpse of this celestial beauty, timing and location are crucial. For those in mid-latitude regions, the ideal times to observe zodiacal light are during the evenings in spring and mornings in autumn. Choose a spot far from city lights, under a clear and moonless sky. As twilight fades, lean back, breathe in the fresh evening air, and let your eyes adjust to the darkness.

The sight will often reveal a column of light that appears brighter near the horizon and tilts at an angle parallel to the ecliptic. Often mistaken for a glimpse of the Milky Way, zodiacal light offers a serene reminder of the intricate cosmos we inhabit.

The Connection to Gegenschein

Zodiacal light isn’t the only celestial phenomenon related to interplanetary dust. There’s also the gegenschein, or “counterglow,” which is a faint oval glow seen directly opposite the Sun. This unique aspect of zodiacal light and gegenschein adds depth to our understanding of celestial phenomena and invites us to ponder our place in the universe.

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A Cosmic Invitation

Zodiacal light is not just a backdrop for the stars; it represents a beautiful, cosmic connection between our planet and the infinity beyond. It serves as a gentle reminder of the fleeting moments in nature—moments that encourage us to pause, look up, and marvel at the intricate dance of light and dust that swirls around us.

So next time you find yourself under a dark sky, take a moment to seek out this enchanting glow. The zodiacal light is waiting, inviting you to experience the magic of our universe. Happy stargazing!

For more information visit these links:

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiacal_light

Earth-Sky: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/zodiacal-light-false-dusk-how-to-see-explanation/

The science section of our news blog STM Daily News provides readers with captivating and up-to-date information on the latest scientific discoveries, breakthroughs, and innovations across various fields. We offer engaging and accessible content, ensuring that readers with different levels of scientific knowledge can stay informed. Whether it’s exploring advancements in medicine, astronomy, technology, or environmental sciences, our science section strives to shed light on the intriguing world of scientific exploration and its profound impact on our daily lives. From thought-provoking articles to informative interviews with experts in the field, STM Daily News Science offers a harmonious blend of factual reporting, analysis, and exploration, making it a go-to source for science enthusiasts and curious minds alike. https://stmdailynews.com/category/science/

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Erica Frantz, Michigan State University; Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Yale University, and Joe Wright, Penn State

With the recent confirmations of Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – two of the most controversial of President Donald Trump’s high-level administration nominees – the president’s attempt to remake government as a home for political loyalists continues.

Soon after coming to office for a second term, Trump aggressively sought to overhaul Washington and bring the federal government in line with his political agenda. He is spearheading an effort to purge the government’s ranks of people he perceived as his opponents and slash the size of long-standing bureaucratic agencies – in some instances dismantling them entirely.

At the helm of much of this is businessman Elon Musk, who is not only the world’s richest man but also the largest donor of the 2024 election and the owner of multiple businesses that benefit from lucrative government contracts.

Musk – and a small cohort of young engineers loyal to him but with little experience in government – descended on Washington, announced their control over multiple government agencies, fired career civil servants, and even strong-armed access to government payment systems at the Treasury Department, where the inspector general had just been sacked.

This unprecedented sequence of events in the U.S. has left many observers in a daze, struggling to make sense of the dramatic reshaping of the bureaucracy under way.

Yet, as researchers on authoritarian politics, we understand it is no surprise that a leader bent on expanding his own power, such as Trump, would see the bureaucracy as a key target. Here’s why.

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Dismantle democracy from within

A well-functioning bureaucracy is an organization of highly qualified civil servants who follow established rules to prevent abuses of power. Bureaucracies, in this way, are an important part of democracy that constrain executive behavior.

For this reason, aspiring strongmen are especially likely to go after them. Whether by shuffling the personnel of agencies, creating new ones, or limiting their capacity for oversight, a common tactic among power-hungry leaders is establishing control over the government’s bureaucracy. Following a failed coup attempt in 2016, for example, Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdoğan fired or detained as many as 100,000 government workers.

In the short term, greater executive control over the bureaucracy gives these leaders a valuable tool for rewarding their elite supporters, especially as diminished government oversight increases opportunities for corruption and the dispersion of rewards to such insiders. Erdoğan, for example, by 2017 had worked to fill lower-level bureaucratic positions with loyalists of his party, the AKP, to ensure the party’s influence over corruption investigations.

In the long term, this hollowing out and reshaping of the bureaucracy is part of a broader plan in which aspiring autocrats usurp control over all institutions that can constrain them, such as the legislature and the courts. As we document in our book, “The Origins of Elected Strongmen,” attacks on the bureaucracy constitute a significant step in a larger process in which elected leaders dismantle democracy from within.

Take control of bureaucracy

The seemingly bizarre series of events that have transpired in Washington since Trump came to power are highly consistent with other countries where democracy has been dismantled.

Take Benin, for example. Its leader, Patrice Talon – one of the wealthiest people in Africa – came to power in democratic elections in 2016.

Soon after taking control, Talon created new agencies housed in the executive office and defunded existing ones, as a means of skirting bureaucratic constraints to his rule. The central affairs of the state were in the hands of an informal cabinet, initially led by Olivier Boko, a wealthy businessman considered to be Talon’s right-hand man despite not having any official position in government.

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Talon and his inner circle used this control over the state to enrich themselves, turning the country into what one journalist referred to as “a company in the hands of Talon and his very close clique.”

Consolidating control over the bureaucracy was just one step in a larger process of turning Benin into an autocratic state. Talon eventually amassed greater power and influence over key state institutions, such as the judiciary, and intervened in the electoral process to ensure his continued rule. By 2021, Benin could no longer be considered a democracy.

Purge civil service

A similar dynamic occurred in Hungary. After governing relatively conventionally for one term, Prime Minister Viktor Orban was defeated in elections in 2002. He blamed that outcome on unfriendly media and never accepted the results as legitimate.

Orban returned to office in 2010, bent on retribution.

Orban ordered mass firings of civil servants and put allies of his party, Fidesz, in crucial roles. He also used the dismantling of bureaucratic constraints to pad the pockets of the elites whose support he needed to maintain power.

As a Hungarian former politician wrote in 2016, “While the mafia state derails the bureaucratic administration, it organizes, monopolizes the channels of corruption and keeps them in order.”

Likewise in Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez had his cronies draw up a blacklist of civil servants to be purged for signing a petition in support of a referendum to determine whether Chávez should be recalled from office in 2004; government employees who signed were subsequently fired from their jobs.

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More than a decade later, Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s current leader, would conduct his own purge of civil servants after they signed a petition to hold another recall referendum. After multiple rounds of government and military purges, Maduro was able to overturn an election he lost and jail his opponents, knowing full well the judges and generals would follow his orders.

Foster culture of secrecy and suspicion

Orban and Chavez, like Talon, were democratically elected but went on to undermine democracy.

In environments where loyalty to the leader is prioritized over all else, and purges can happen at a moment’s notice, few people are willing to speak up about abuses of power or stand in the way of a power grab.

Fostering a culture of secrecy and mutual suspicion among government officials is intentional and serves the leader’s interests.

As a World Bank report highlighted in 1983, in President Mobutu Sese Seko’s Zaire, now Democratic Republic of Congo, the bureaucracy had been “privatized by the ruling clique,” creating a climate in which “fear and repression … prevented any serious threat from dissenting groups.”

When leaders gain full power over the bureaucracy, they use it to reward and punish ordinary citizens as well. This was a tried-and-true tactic under the PRI’s rule in Mexico for much of the 20th century, where citizens who supported the PRI were more likely to receive government benefits.

In short, when aspiring autocrats come to power, career bureaucrats are a common target, often replaced by unqualified loyalists who would never be hired for the position based on merit. Recent events in the U.S., as unprecedented as they may seem, are precisely what we would expect with the return of Trump, a would-be autocrat, to power.

Erica Frantz, Associate Professor of Political Science, Michigan State University; Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Distinguished Practitioner in Grand Strategy, Jackson School of Public Affairs, Yale University, and Joe Wright, Professor of Political Science, Penn State

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Planetary Parade

Astronomy enthusiasts and casual stargazers alike have something extraordinary to look forward to at the end of February. For one brief moment, on the evening of February 28, 2025, all seven planets—Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn—will align in the night sky, creating a captivating planetary parade. This remarkable event marks the last time such an alignment will be visible until 2040, making it an occasion not to be missed.

What to Expect

The planetary parade will unfold shortly after sunset, with each planet showcasing its brilliance against the backdrop of the evening sky. While most of these celestial bodies will shine brighter than even the brightest stars, Uranus and Neptune will likely require binoculars or a telescope for a better view.

Currently, six of the planets are already aligned, but stargazers will have to wait until February 28 for Mercury to make its debut just above the horizon. Dr. Christopher Barnes, a senior lecturer at the University of Derby, explains the visibility details: “Mars will appear in the east, Jupiter and Uranus in the southeast, and Venus, Neptune, and Saturn in the west.”

Viewing Tips

For those wishing to experience this cosmic event, the best time to observe will be just after sunset when the stars begin to appear. Dr. Barnes suggests that even people in urban areas, where light pollution is often an issue, will be able to see most of the planets. However, seeking a location away from city lights will enhance the viewing experience.

The Benefits of Stargazing

Beyond the thrilling visual spectacle, taking time to gaze upon the stars and planets offers numerous benefits for one’s mental and emotional well-being. Dr. Barnes points out that stargazing encourages mindfulness, allowing individuals to detach from the stresses of daily life. “Engaging with the night sky fosters a sense of peace, restoration, and perspective,” he says.

Future Events

After February 28, the next opportunity to see a planetary alignment of five or more planets will occur in late October 2028 and again in February 2034. However, another seven-planet alignment will not be witnessed for another 15 years, making this February a particularly special occasion.

To cater to those unable to view the parade due to unfavorable weather or light pollution, several observatories will provide live streams of the event. This means everyone can partake in this astral celebration from the comfort of their homes.

As we approach February 28, it’s time to mark your calendars for this rare planetary parade. Whether you grab your telescope, plan a trip to a dark-sky location, or tune in to a live stream, don’t miss your chance to witness this extraordinary alignment of the planets, a spectacle that will be remembered long after it fades from view. Prepare to look up and enjoy the wonders of our solar system!

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Resources:

Who doesn’t love a parade, especially a planet parade? How and when to see up to 7 planets

Planetary Parade will soon be visible in the evening sky

The science section of our news blog STM Daily News provides readers with captivating and up-to-date information on the latest scientific discoveries, breakthroughs, and innovations across various fields. We offer engaging and accessible content, ensuring that readers with different levels of scientific knowledge can stay informed. Whether it’s exploring advancements in medicine, astronomy, technology, or environmental sciences, our science section strives to shed light on the intriguing world of scientific exploration and its profound impact on our daily lives. From thought-provoking articles to informative interviews with experts in the field, STM Daily News Science offers a harmonious blend of factual reporting, analysis, and exploration, making it a go-to source for science enthusiasts and curious minds alike. https://stmdailynews.com/category/science/