Is that the Milky Way I can see?

[mylatestwhim]

Just returned from a (Sort of) astronomy holiday to a very dark site in Northern UK.

Is the band of bright light that runs (sort of) North to South South East the Milky Way?

ie looking in towards the centre of the disk?

Thanks,

[themos]

It rather depends on the time you saw it. At the moment, it seems to be overhead before dawn and very low over the northern horizon at sunset.

[mylatestwhim]

It rather depends on the time you saw it. At the moment, it seems to be overhead before dawn and very low over the northern horizon at sunset.

This seems to be around 12 midnight to 2am ish so may have just been dense clusters of stars,

[barkis]

Could it have been this perhaps, if you had really dark skies.

I'm not too familiar with the Zodiacal Light though.

Ron.

http://wn.com/zodiacal_light

[acey]

This seems to be around 12 midnight to 2am ish so may have just been dense clusters of stars,

Pre-dawn is currently the best time to see it. It runs through Cassiopeia (W-shape constellation) and the "northern cross" of Cygnus. Sounds like you saw it.

I observe at a dark site in UK and have never seen the zodiacal light, but always see the Milky Way (if conditions allow!).

[Dave]

The Milky Way reaches a reasonable altitude by 2am, so that is probably what you saw.

The Zodiacal light is extremely hard to see except from exceptionally dark skies and lies along the ecliptic. Best seen this time of the year from an hour or more after sunset stretching from the western horizon up to about 40-50 degrees altitude. It's never seen close to midnight. Unless you can see the gegenschein!

[mylatestwhim]

Could it have been this perhaps, if you had really dark skies.

I'm not too familiar with the Zodiacal Light though.

Ron.

http://wn.com/zodiacal_light

It was very much like that but without the great detail! That looks stunning..

Pre-dawn is currently the best time to see it. It runs through Cassiopeia (W-shape constellation) and the "northern cross" of Cygnus. Sounds like you saw it.

I observe at a dark site in UK and have never seen the zodiacal light, but always see the Milky Way (if conditions allow!).

Yes it was coming from the W of cassiopea which was NNE and travelling SSE roughly.

I had a scan with the scope and it was really dense stars. Quite beautifull

I was spotting identifiable clusters too on the same trip so seeing was excellent.