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Zodiacal Light Over Crater Lake, Oregon

A natural nighttime pillar of light known as the Zodiacal Light shines above and is reflected in Crater Lake, Oregon. The Zodiacal Light results from the sun shining on dust particles left behind by comets. The dust particles - the largest of which are believed to be just 0.3 mm and miles from its nearest neighboring particle - orbit the sun in a range from Mars to beyond Jupiter. Visible year-round in the tropics, the Zodiacal Light is best viewed immediately around the spring and fall solstice farther from the equator. The planet Venus, the brightest object in the sky, is visible near the peak of the Zodiacal Light and is also reflected in Crater Lake. The Milky Way, visible on the right, intersects with the Zodiacal Light at the top-center of the image. Crater Lake, which is actually a caldera, formed when Mount Mazama erupted violently about 7,700 years ago, causing its summit to collapse. Subsequent eruptions sealed the caldera, trapping rain water and snowmelt, forming the lake, which has a maximum depth of 1,949 feet (594 meters). Wizard Island, a volcanic cinder code, is visible in the foreground.

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CraterLake_ZodiacalLight_9620.jpg
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Copyright 2012 Kevin Ebi/LivingWilderness.com. All rights reserved.
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A natural nighttime pillar of light known as the Zodiacal Light shines above and is reflected in Crater Lake, Oregon. The Zodiacal Light results from the sun shining on dust particles left behind by comets. The dust particles - the largest of which are believed to be just 0.3 mm and miles from its nearest neighboring particle - orbit the sun in a range from Mars to beyond Jupiter. Visible year-round in the tropics, the Zodiacal Light is best viewed immediately around the spring and fall solstice farther from the equator. The planet Venus, the brightest object in the sky, is visible near the peak of the Zodiacal Light and is also reflected in Crater Lake. The Milky Way, visible on the right, intersects with the Zodiacal Light at the top-center of the image. Crater Lake, which is actually a caldera, formed when Mount Mazama erupted violently about 7,700 years ago, causing its summit to collapse. Subsequent eruptions sealed the caldera, trapping rain water and snowmelt, forming the lake, which has a maximum depth of 1,949 feet (594 meters). Wizard Island, a volcanic cinder code, is visible in the foreground.
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