The Zodiacal Light decreases in intensity the further you get from the sun, but should you be blessed with optimum sky conditions with absolutely no light pollution, smoke, or haze to obscure your view, you might just see it running the entire length of the ecliptic, an average of five to ten degrees across. This is called the Zodiacal Band.

Also difficult to see, though actually a trifle brighter than the Zodiacal Band, is the counterglow or gegenschein. This is a very faint oval patch of light about 10 to 20 degrees long and 6 to 8 degrees wide (comparable in size to the Great Square of Pegasus) and situated exactly on the ecliptic at that point in the sky diametrically opposed to the sun. If the sun has just dipped below the western horizon, for example, the counterglow would appear just above the eastern horizon.

The counterglow is also caused by material wafting through space, but this is the stuff beyond the orbit of Earth. It may appear just slightly brighter than the Zodiacal Band because the material reflecting the light is on the exact opposite side of the Earth from the sun, and so the individual components are illuminated in much the same manner as the moon at full phase, resulting in the maximum possible return of light to the Earth, and a concentrated glow at that particular portion of the band.

To see the counterglow with certainty is no small achievement. Not only does it require absolutely black skies, but also unusual perception and visual acuity. Moreover, if it occurs anywhere in or near the Milky Way, it will be hopelessly lost in its light.

Because of its extreme faintness, your best chance of glimpsing the counterglow is to use averted vision. Try this: Look directly toward that spot in the sky where the counterglow should be, then turn your eyes slowly to one side. Slowly return your eyes to the spot, and you just might be able to discern a large—albeit exceedingly faint—hazy patch of light.

Good Luck! You'll need it.